The Marauder's Tale: The Hogwarts Years
by CanYouHereTheSoldiersComing
Summary: The Marauders Tale. Follow Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs through their seven years of magical education. See the highs, the lows, the duels, the Quidditch, the Full Moons, the mischief and of course, the arguments with Evans . Various pairings.
1. The Magic Begins

_A/N: Hello! As some of you may know, this story has been up before, but wasn't completed, unfortunately. It was deleted (for a full explanation, go to my profile page, I don't want to waste your story time droning on about it, I'm sure you don't really wanna hear it anyway). _

_That said, the story is back, edited, changed around a bit and hopefully improved. I really hope you enjoy it, I've loved writing it! So, without further ado, here is chapter one!_

_Grace._

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**The Marauders Tale - The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter One**_

**_The Magic Begins_**

"James, come on or you're going to be late!"

A groggy, raven haired boy groaned from beneath a cocoon of navy blue sheets, grumbling tiredly and clearly annoyed at having been awoken. A small skinny arm slipped from beneath the covers, fumbling for a pair of round rimmed glasses resting on the wooden table beside his rather large bed.

Today was the day. Today, James Potter began his new life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Had young James been more awake, he would have vented his excitement by jumping around as he usually did when something exciting happened or was about to happen, however said excitement had caused him lack of sleep the night before, and therefore a _very_ tired morning.

"JAMES!"

Pushing the covers over his head, James grinned sheepishly to himself. Okay, so being tired didn't mar his excitement. He couldn't wait to get started! He had dreamed of going to Hogwarts ever since his parents had informed him he would be. And now it was finally here. He was finally going to become a proper wizard, and a ruddy good one, if he had anything to say about it.

With renewed energy (James was never one to stay still for too long); James jumped out of bed, and rushed towards his bathroom, tripping over various items in the process. After a quick shower, and the usually morning fight to flatten his unruly hair, which never seemed to sit right no matter how much he and his mother tried, James bounded downstairs, dragging a large trunk precariously behind him.

Gwendolyn Potter smiled warmly as her only child wandered into the kitchen, a dazed look on his face.

"Excited?" she smiled, setting down the dishcloth in her hands.

James nodded vehemently, and pulled a plate stacked high with delicious smelling pancakes towards him, dumping almost half a bottle of syrup onto them.

Harold Potter, an Auror for the Ministry of Magic, entered not long after James. With his trademark messy hair, and round glasses, James was the image of his father, Harold. However, James had inherited the hazel eyes and soft features of his mother, making up quite a handsome boy indeed, and a perfect mix of his parents.

"The Express leaves at eleven," started Mr Potter, pulling his own breakfast towards him, "So if we get to the station at about half ten, that'll give you time to get sorted on the train. I've already floo-ed Ivy; she said she'll meet us at the station".

James, however, missed the last part of his father's information. Now that morning was over, and he was almost ready to leave, the nerves he'd so desperately hoped wouldn't appear, hit with full force. He glanced down at his now shaking hands, rather annoyed at feeling this way and definitely needing a bit of reassurance, "Is it normal to be this nervous?" he asked quietly.

Mrs Potter smiled sympathetically at her son, "Of course sweetie, I was a nervous wreck on my first day. But dont worry, you'll love it. Hogwarts were the best years of my life," she reminisced, "You know I met your father at Hogwarts".

"Really?" said James, his eyes lighting up with interest.

"Really, I was quite proficient at Transfiguration, though not quite so in Potions, and your mother here offered to tutor me," explained Mr Potter with a slightly wistful smile.

James grinned, "Wow, I never knew that," somehow this story seemed to abate the churning in his stomach.

"Well," said Mrs Potter with a soft smile, "We weren't exactly the best of friends from day one".

"Your mother thought I was a little too big for my boots," Mr Potter continued, "But once we hit third year, our friends became friends with each other, and we realised we had something in common".

"What was that?" asked James, shoving a spoon full of pancakes into his mouth, feeling a lot better than before.

Mrs Potter grinned, "The inability to behave ourselves, it turns out you father and I had the same sense of humour, and we were friends ever since".

James nodded, smiling at the thought. His smile faded, and another uneasy thought hit him...what if he didn't make any friends?

"Dont worry son, you'll be begging never to leave once you get there," Mr Potter chuckled, as though reading his mind, "And you have Holly and Jonny, so you won't be completely alone".

James smiled weakly, but the knot in his stomach remained. He had been confident and excited up until then, but now, he was feeling the nerves get the better of him. Mr Potter glanced at his son, and ruffled his hair, "Seriously James, you have nothing to worry about, you'll love it!"

~**~

"All set princess?"

A kind, dark haired man pulled a small, flame haired girl into his embrace, a proud smile lighting up his face. The small girl nodded, her own dazzling grin clearly visible.

"Everything is packed, oh I'm so excited," breathed the young girl excitedly. Her hair, which fell just past her shoulders, was a vibrant red, a complete contrast to her vivid, almond shaped, emerald green eyes. Lily Evans was a beautiful young girl, no doubt a heartbreaker as the years would go by, as her father often commented.

"I'm still having a hard time adjusting to this," confessed Robert Evans, Lily's father, "I knew my little princess was special, but a _witch_...I'm so proud of you honey".

Lily felt her face flush, and grinned, "Thanks Daddy, I..."

She stopped, as a blonde haired girl entered the room, a scowl on her face.

"Tuney!" cried Lily, rushing forward to her sister. Petunia Evans, like her parents, was a Muggle, a person with no magical powers, who had short blonde hair, and a rather unpleasant air about her. She was rather plain, compared to her sister, though only Lily seemed to miss this. In all honesty, the younger girl idolised her older sister. It was a shame the same couldn't be said for dear Petunia, and although Petunia had vehemently denied jealousy, the fact that her sister was off to some weird school to learn about magic of all things, hurt her deeply.

"Urgh Lily, do you have to be so childish," scorned Petunia, pushing Lily away from her and smoothing down her new school uniform, which she had been modelling for her family ever since she had gotten it. Lily's expression saddened, the brass comment hurting her deeply. She had always been so close to her sister; the two had been best friends. But the day Lily received her letter, it all changed, and Lily wasn't sure if things would ever return to the way they used to be.

"I'm sorry...I'm just going to miss you....that's all".

Petunia rolled her eyes, but Lily could have sworn she saw a flash of guilt in her pale eyes.

"Ready to go?"

Lily and Petunia turned, where their parents were waiting expectantly by the door. Lily exhaled shakily, and nodded, taking her first steps towards a brand new life.

~**~

"Sirius! Up!"

Grey eyes opened groggily, and scowled at the intruding bright light spilling into his room. Growling, a young boy clambered out of bed, and padded across towards his bathroom, still not fully awake.

"OW! DAMN IT KREACHER!"

Hopping around and massaging his toe, eleven year old Sirius Black cursed the chuckling house elf, swatting him away.

"Kreacher apologises to Master Sirius, though Master Sirius should watch where he is going," the stooped house-elf sneered.

Sirius rolled his eyes, fully awake now, "Yeah whatever, just get outta here and tell mum I'll be down in a minute", glancing at his clock, he realised he had less than an hour until the train to Hogwarts left. Cursing his inability to wake up on time, he hurriedly showered, and practically flew down the many flights of stairs in Grimmauld Place.

As he entered the large kitchen, he noticed his father immersed in the Daily Prophet, whilst his mother stood, tapping her foot impatiently. Sirius looked alot like his father; the same dark hair, the same haughty good looks, but his eyes, which ranged in various shades of grey depending on his mood, were definitely his mothers.

"Do you have any idea what time it is," she scowled, her eyes wide and her brown hair seeming to frazzle in annoyance. Sirius rolled his eyes, casually brushing his dark hair out of his eyes.

"Yes, I can tell time you know".

"Don't speak to your mother like that boy," scolded Orion Black, his eyes never leaving the morning paper. Grumbling to himself, Sirius took a seat next to his younger brother, and began piling his plate with various foodstuffs prepared by Kreacher. Walburga, Sirius's mother, flung her hands in the air in irritation, and stalked back out of the kitchen.

"Hey Sirius," Regulus greeted cheerfully. Sirius smiled brightly at his best friend, and younger brother.

"Im so jealous you're off to Hogwarts already! I wish I was going!" exclaimed Regulus; his own blue eyes alight with excitement.

"Don't worry little bro, you'll be there next year," grinned Sirius, beginning to stuff his face with breakfast. Regulus giggled at his brothers eating habits, and promptly began to copy him. Sirius was his idol, his hero, even if Sirius and his parents didn't exactly see eye to eye.

"Yes...yes this fellow has the right idea indeed," muttered Orion. Sirius and Regulus cast each other confused looks, and glanced at their father.

"Who dad?" asked Regulus.

"This Voldemort fellow, getting rid of Muggles and mud-bloods, yes that's the right idea indeed".

Sirius scowled at his father, "To some, I think it's ridiculous, so what if your parents aren't wizards, what difference does it make".

Orion glared at his son, but remained silent, and returned to his paper. Regulus glanced worriedly at his brother, sad that Sirius constantly spoke out against his parents. He just wanted them to be a proper family, that was all.

~**~

"HOLLY RUTH KNIGHT!"

A dark haired young girl bit her lip, and tentatively descended the stairs of her home. Attempting a smile, she saw her mother, arms crossed and tapping her foot.

"Yes mum?" asked Holly as sweetly as possible. She was quite used to this situation, and had perfected her 'it wasn't my fault so let me off the hook' look.

Her mother, Ivy, quirked an eyebrow, "Just what is your broom doing amongst your bags?"

Holly grinned sheepishly, "Well...uhh...I was going to take it Hogwarts..."

"You _know_ first years aren't allowed to take their own broomsticks, how many times do I have to tell you that," replied Mrs Knight exasperatedly. Holly bit her lip again, and glanced at her father with dark, pleading eyes, "Daddy, help me out here".

Ian Knight raised his hands, "I'm a Muggle, as you say, I'm afraid I can't have an opinion on this".

Holly groaned, and turned to the dark haired young man passing her on the stairs, "Jonny, little help".

"Sorry sis," grinned Jonathan, Holly's older brother, "Rules are rules".

Holly snorted, "Since when do you follow rules?"

"Since he became a prefect," gushed Mrs Knight proudly. Holly rolled her eyes at her father, who fought his own laughter. Really, her mother had gone on quite enough about perfect prefect Jonny. How he ever made it to prefect status, Holly would never know. The family were always getting letters about his behaviour, and it was never praise.

"Are you two ready? I told Uncle Harry we'd meet him at the station." continued her mother impatiently.

Holly suddenly became very nervous, but nodded nonetheless, "Ready as I'll ever be...I guess".

~**~

"Remus sweetie, are you all set?" asked Jemima Lupin, her kind eyes lighting up at the sight of her son. A sandy haired, rather pale boy nodded quietly, glancing around the kitchen he had just entered and looking a little unsure of himself.

"You'll be fine son, chin up," smiled Ben Lupin warmly, though unlike his wife, the smile did not quite reach his eyes. This wasn't odd, not to the Lupins, in any case. He had been like that for quite some time now.

Remus smiled shakily, trying his best to take some reassurance from his parents. But he wasn't going to be fine. He wasn't like the others. He was different...very different.

"What if...what if I don't make any friends...what if people...you know," he asked timidly. Mrs Lupin dropped the paper she held, and quickly crossed the room, enveloping her son in a tight embrace. It was her remedy for any trouble.

"Remus, don't ever let what happened get you down. You're a wonderful person darling, you're going to make tons of new friends, and have the time of your life," she assured him.

Remus nodded, though was still not entirely convinced. Mr Lupin noticed this, and sighed, "Son, I'm telling you, you-will-be-fine," he punctuated each word with a slight prod to his sons chest.

Remus swallowed hard, and nodded again.

"Now, are you ready to go and become a great wizard," grinned Mrs Lupin, taking her sons nod as a sign of acceptance. Remus glanced at his parents, and found strength in their assuring smiles.

"Yeah...yeah I am".

He was going to be just fine.

~**~

"Christina....Christina lets go, the train leaves in less than an hour".

A small, platinum blonde head peeked out from the doorway, bright blue eyes alive with excitement.

"I'm ready mum, just let me fetch Barnabus".

Christina Coddlesworth dove back into her room, and grabbed a small, grey tabby cat around the middle. Barnabus the cat yowled at the sudden movement, and found himself being transported downstairs quickly by a rather eager young girl.

"Ready," grinned Kenneth, young Christina's father.

"You bet," exclaimed Christina joyfully, bounding for the front door. Always so full of energy, and not one to be left out, Christina wanted to make sure she got to the station early and experience as much as she could.

Mr Coddlesworth glanced at his wife Gillian, who chuckled merrily, and quickly followed their eldest child out into the drive towards the green car they'd borrowed from the Ministry of Magic, two golden haired young boys who seemed just as excited as their sister already awaiting them.

Christina glanced back at her home as they got into the car, and grinned. She couldn't wait to finally become a witch.

~**~

"Come on Peter, we've booked the Knight bus to take us to the station," called a small, plump woman. Peter Pettigrew, a short boy with already thinning hair and watery eyes, ambled towards the front door of his home nervously.

"Are you okay, you seem a little jumpy?" asked his mother, her mousy hair blowing slightly in the breeze as they exited their home. Peter nodded timidly, and glanced at his father, who was waiting for the large, purple bus that would take them to King's Cross station.

"Come on son, we're going to be late," called Gregory Pettigrew sternly. Peter began to shake as he realised just how close he was to finally leaving for Hogwarts. He glanced at his mother, who looked just as nervous as he was, her face seeming paler than usual.

"You'll be fine Peter, just remember, we're only an owl away should you need anything," whispered Sandra Pettigrew, careful not to let her husband hear. Mr Pettigrew hated weakness of any kind, and nerves were a big weakness, in his eyes at least.

"Okay mum," replied Peter quietly. He jumped as the Knight bus suddenly appeared out of nowhere, teetering precariously as it neared the Pettigrew household.

"Right, everybody on!" called Mr Pettigrew, as he paid the fare and hauled Peter's trunk onboard. Peter gulped, and started towards the bus, clinging to his mother's hand.

He'd never been so nervous in his life.

~**~

"Bridget! Bridget let's go!"

"I'll be right down mum!"

A small, light haired young girl popped her freckle covered face out of her door, and grinned. Today, she went to Hogwarts! She really couldn't believe it! Grabbing her trunk, the young girl hurried down the stairs of her home, and spotted her mother, Kathleen Moore, and her father, Angus Moore, waiting patiently next to the fireplace.

"Come on sweetie, we need to Floo to the Leaky Cauldron first".

Bridget nodded. Living in Ireland, it was a little harder for her to get to Kings Cross, yet the young girl loved flooing, for some reason. Most people she knew despised the form of transport, though Bridget honestly couldn't see why.

"Are we all set," asked Mr Moore. Mrs Moore glanced at her daughter, positively beaming with pride.

"We are, now, let's be off".

Bridget grabbed a handful of Floo powder, and stepped into the fireplace. This was it. She was going to Hogwarts! As she dropped the powder, and announced her destination, Bridget felt a few nerves beginning to creep through.

But Bridget Moore was a strong person...she was a witch, and in her opinion, could do anything she put her mind to. She was going to be perfectly fine.

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_Hope you enjoyed :)_

_Leave a review if you're feeling extra kind, and Happy New Year to you all!!! have a good one guys._


	2. Journey to Hogwarts

_A/N: And here is chapter two! I hope you all enjoy it, and it's longer than the previous, so hopefully the readers will be happy. This'll be the average length for each chapter I reckon, I'm pretty proud :D_

_Thanks **HPfanforever** for the review, hope you had a good new year._

_Now, on with the show...._

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwart's Years**

**_Chapter Two_**

**_Journey to Hogwarts_**

On a crowded platform in London's Kings Cross Station, hidden away from the prying eyes of curious Muggles, platform 9¾ was a buzz with chattering young wizards and witches. Cats of all colours snaked their way through the crowds, large owls hooting and flapping their wings, and large, fat bull frogs croaked lazily as the students of Hogwarts prepared for the journey to their beloved school.

A nervous James Potter glanced at the crowds warily, unsure as to what to do next. Turning his gaze to his mother, he felt a sudden warmth spread through him at the sight of her encouraging smile, and his nerves eased a little.

"Come on honey, dad will help you with your trunk, then we'll go and find Aunt Ivy and Uncle Ian" started Mrs Potter, ushering her son forward.

James stared at the magnificent red steam engine; the Hogwarts Express. His attention elsewhere, he barely registered the small boy before him until he collided with him.

"OW!"

James glanced up, and saw a dark haired, grey eyed young boy, no older than himself, grumbling in annoyance. The two boys clambered to their feet, immediately retreating to their parent's side as if hiding from one another.

"Gwendolyn, Harold." A tall, rather stern looking man nodded his head slightly towards James' parents. James's mother's eyes widened slightly in recognition, but Mr Potter merely nodded in return.

"Orion, Walburga," Mr Potter replied in the same emotionless tone. James glanced at the boy he'd run into, who seemed to be just as confused as he felt.

"Ahh yes, I forgot your son was the same age as our Sirius," the man named Orion continued, "Jimmy, isn't it?"

"James, actually," Mr Potter corrected quickly, and James bit back the small laugh bursting to make itself known. Clearly his parents and these people didn't get along. James looked again to the boy he'd run into, assuming he was Sirius. He looked bored, and was leaning on a boy, presumably his brother, who looked to be just a little younger than himself.

"Hi, I'm James Potter," James extended his hand.

The boy eyed his hand for a moment, and glanced at his parents. For some reason, they seemed to be glaring.

"Sirius Black," the boy took his hand and smirked. James had no idea what was going on, but decided he liked Sirius Black nevertheless, there was something about him, something that told James he could trust this boy, and James was the type of person who always trusted his instincts.

"Well, we'd best be off," Sirius' mother, who looked quite frightening, if James were honest, stepped forward and grabbed Sirius by the shoulder, "Come, Sirius".

Sirius rolled his eyes and shrugged himself free of his mothers grasp, "Actually, I'll stay with James. Someone to sit with on the train, isn't it?"

Again, Sirius' parents glared. In fact, his father had already turned his back and was saying something to their other son. Mrs Black's nostrils flared for a moment, and she seemed genuinely angry.

"Very well. Send a letter when you get to school, I want to know who your classmates will be this year," Mrs Black shot a sly look at James, and smirked, "Keep yourself out of trouble, I don't want to have to come all the way up there to sort out some mess you've gotten into".

Sirius mock saluted his mother, "Aye aye captain!"

James couldn't help it, and snorted loudly. Mrs Black inhaled loudly in anger, then turned on her heel and disappeared. Sirius raised his eyebrows at James, then grinned.

As Mrs Potter rummaged through her handbag for a comb, Mr Potter helped James and Sirius haul their trunks aboard the train, before hurrying back onto the station to bid farewell to James' mother. Sirius didn't seem shy at all, and was positively beaming by the time they got back.

"Now James, be good, and if you've forgotten anything just send Merlin and let us know".

James nodded, and embraced his parents tightly.

"We'll miss you honey, but you're going to have a wonderful time," assured Mrs Potter.

"James...uhh...wanna get going?" asked Sirius, jerking a thumb towards the train behind him. James nodded, and turned back to his parents.

"Looks like you've made a friend already," Mr Potter winked, and ruffled his son's hair, messing it up even more. James grinned, thinking about his new friend.

"Now get going, and owl us as soon as you get there," called Mrs Potter, as James and Sirius climbed aboard the train.

"I will mum, bye!" waved James.

"Bye son, have fun!" called Mr Potter. James nodded affirmatively, and followed Sirius back to the compartment they'd chosen.

~**~

Lily glanced nervously at her sister. She still wasn't speaking to her. Not a word had been spoken between the pair for about a week now, save for the appearances the girls were putting on for their parents. Not that Mr and Mrs Evans had noticed much, they were far too engrossed in the fact that their little girl was off to a school to learn magic, of all things.

Lily sighed, a tired and sad sigh. One more try, before she was off to start what she assumed would be a brand new life.

"This is really exciting, isn't it," the red head started, adopting a bright look on her pretty face, "Did you see that boy with the owl? Maybe when I get back we can go and buy one, I think that'd be really cool!"

Lily eyed her sister warily. Petunia shot an annoyed look at her sister, and turned away huffily.

"Can't we go yet?" she whined to her parents. However, Mr and Mrs Evans were far to captured with the people around them to notice the icy tension between their two children. Mrs Evans was currently pointing out the portly woman with the large green pointed hat.

Lily chewed her lip, and stepped a little closer to her sister.

"We can go at Christmas," she continued, "You would've had so much fun and Diagon Alley, and I know Daddy is dying to go too".

Petunia sneered at her sister, "If you come back for Christmas," she spat, "No doubt you'll having oh so much fun at that..._place_. I can't believe you're actually agreeing to this!"

Lily blanched. So that's what it was. Petunia was worried she'd forget.

"Oh, Tuney. Of course I'll be coming home! I know it'll be hard, me being away for so long, I'm sorry," Petunia clearly wasn't listening to her, and Lily was getting desperate, "Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen –" Lily grabbed Petunia's hand and held onto it tightly, "Maybe once I'm there," Petunia continued to turn her head in the other direction, "no, listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"

"I – don't – want – to – go!" Petunia snatched her hand from Lily's grasp, glaring, "You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a – a – "

Petunia trailed off, her eyes darting to the proud scarlet steam engine, passing over the hoards of students bidding goodbye to their families and greeting their friends.

Her eyes snapped back to Lily, who looked rather a fearful.

" – you think I want to be a – a freak?"

Lily gasped. Her eyes widened, and filled with tears, letting go of Petunia's hand in the process.

"I'm not a freak," she protested weakly, "That's a horrible thing to say".

"That's where you're going," Petunia affirmed, as though it was all suddenly clear to her, "A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy...wierdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our own safety".

She seemed so sure of it. As if that was the only possible explanation. Lily felt a rush of anger sweep through her. She wasn't a freak. Not at all. Petunia was jealous. Simply jealous. Lily glanced at her parents, who pointing unabashedly at a man carrying a long wooden broom, looks of glee shining on their faces.

The red head turned back to Petunia, lowering her voice considerably, fire in her eyes.

"You didn't think it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the Headmaster and begged him to take you".

Petunia visibly reddened, her pale eyes widening slightly.

"Beg?" she tried to look flabbergasted, "I didn't beg!"

"I saw his reply," Lily countered, "It was very kind".

"You shouldn't have read –" Petunia looked mortified, to say the least, and was now whispering, "That was my private – how could you - ?"

She tried not to, but she couldn't help it. Lily could see Snape watching her nearby, and for a split second, her eyes flickered towards him. Hoping against hope that Petunia wouldn't notice, her gaze snapped back. But it was too late. Petunia gasped.

"That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!"

"No," Lily defended, feeling rather guilty for bringing the whole thing up. Sometimes, her temper got the better of her, "Not sneaking – Severus saw the envelope, and he couldn't believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must have been wizards working undercover at the postal service who take care of –"

Lily was cut off by the angry snap of her sister, who had now paled to a rather unsightly puce colour.

"Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!" the older girl stepped closer to Lily, a nasty sneer upon her face, "_Freak!_"

Petunia turned on her heel and flounced over to her parents, leaving Lily in a stunned silence. She mouthed wordlessly for a moment, quite unable to register what had just happened. It was then, that Mr Evans clapped his hands together, oblivious to the heated exchange the two girls had previously partook in.

"Now, what's say we get you sorted and ready to go, princess," he sent a glowing smile towards Lily, who merely nodded slowly.

"No need to be nervous darling," Mr Evans continued, clearly mistaking her expression, "This is all so fascinating. Really? Pointed hats and the like! And here was me thinking these were all just stories..." Mr Evans trailed off, his gaze wandering to a group of rowdy young wizards who were crowded around a smoking box.

Lily barely registered saying goodbye to her parents. She put on a brave smile as her father lugged her trunk aboard the train. She attempted a laugh when her mother began rabbiting on about the fashion the witches were wearing, and she desperately held back the tears threatening to spill when Petunia turned her nose in the air and stalked off towards the barrier they had come through.

After saying a final farewell, Lily hurried aboard the train, and slipped into a small compartment she stowed her trunk away in. It was empty still, thankfully. She didn't feel much like talking to anyone right now. And it was only then, that she let the tears fall.

So Petunia thought she was a freak. It was as simple as that. Eleven years of being best friends, of spending every waking moment in each other's company, of laughing, crying, joking and playing together...gone.

The tears fell in earnest, cascading down her cheeks thick and fast. She didn't even bother to stop them. Better to get it all out now, rather than in front of someone.

The train gave a shudder, and a lurch, signalling the journey had begun. Lily shot a glance out of the window, furiously wiping her eyes as she did so. But the tears continued to fall. Petunia hated her, she was sure of it.

"Mind if we sit here?"

Lily looked up to see two boys standing in the doorway, and quickly wiped her eyes again. She nodded, and looked back out of the train window

~**~

James glanced uneasily at the girl in the corner. It was clear to him that she had been crying, but in all honesty, he wasn't good with things like that. He wasn't much of a crier, if truth be told.

"So, excited?"

James turned back to Sirius, who was lounging lazily in his seat. James nodded, ignoring the small, but present flip of nerves in his stomach. It was getting better though, now that he'd made a friend.

"Course. Hey, no offence, but what was up with our parents?"

Sirius shrugged, kicking up his feet, his dark hair flopping into his eyes.

"Dunno. Mum didn't have her coffee this morning, and dad's always grouchy on a morning".

James laughed at this, and settled back into his seat, "I think my mum had a bit too much coffee this morning. Bouncing all over the place, she was".

Sirius barked a loud laugh, his eyes dancing with mirth. The boys were interrupted, when the compartment door slid open again. Three boys slipped in, carrying large trunks and joking loudly.

"Alright, mind if we sit here?"

James and Sirius grinned, and moved down to allow room for the new additions.

The first boy who spoke, was a tall, sandy haired boy, with dark brown eyes and a cheery smile, "I'm Aiden McKinnon, this is Brian Milburn," he indicated to the dark boy with curly black hair on his left, "And this is Donald Cobbett," he pointed to the red headed boy who had taken a seat next to James.

"I'm James Potter," James grinned, "And that's Sirius Black," he waved towards Sirius, who nodded to the boys.

"Nice to meet you, anyone else as nervous as I am?" started Aiden, not missing a beat. James chuckled, and shrugged, looking to Sirius.

"Me? Nervous? Bah!" Sirius cried dramatically, eliciting loud guffaws from the surrounding boys.

Just as James was about to add to that comment, the door slid open once again, revealing a skinny, plaid boy with dark, shoulder length hair and beady black eyes. James paid no attention to the boy, as Brian had just pulled out a copy of Which Broomstick and was commenting on the new Cleansweep model that had just come out.

"....be in Slytherin".

James' ears perked up slightly, and he slid his gaze towards the skinny boy and the red head. Sirius too, seemed to have heard the comment, and was eyeing the two strangely.

"Slytherin?" James felt this was an opportunity he just couldn't miss. Time to impress, he thought.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin?" James continued, smirking slightly, "I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" James looked to Sirius, who to his surprise seemed a little annoyed.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," Sirius said, looking back at James.

"Blimey," said James, attempting some humour, "And I thought you seemed alright," really though, Slytherin had quite a reputation. Even James knew that.

Sirius, however, broke into a grin, thinking of just how his mother would react if he _weren't_ sorted into Slytherin.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition," he smirked, "Where're you headed if you've got the choice?"

James lifted an imaginary sword, clearing his throat.

"'_Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!'_ Like my dad," he grinned proudly at Sirius, who chuckled heartily. The pallid boy snorted, and both James and Sirius snapped their attention to him.

"Got a problem with that?" asked James, frowning.

"No," the boy didn't even bother to hide his obvious sneer, "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy – "

"Where're you hoping to go," Sirius cut across, "Saying as you're neither?"

James snorted, then burst into laughter at an arrogantly pleased with himself Sirius. Beside the pallid boy, the red head, who had been rather quiet, flushed, and sat up straight.

"Come on, Severus," she said in a rather lofty voice, "Let's find another compartment".

James and Sirius glanced at each other, identical smirks on their faces.

"Oooooooo," the adopted high pitched, mocking voices, and as the boy named Severus passed, James stuck his foot out to trip him.

"See ya, Snivellus," Sirius called, just as the compartment door slammed shut. James burst into laughter once again, grinning at Sirius.

"Brilliant! Slimy git. Whichever house I'm in, I hope it's not with those two," James scoffed. Sirius nodded affirmatively, scowling.

"I'm surprised his type even have friends, let alone girl friends," Sirius sneered, his grey eyes glinting. James chuckled.

"Idiots".

~**~

Lily stormed down the train corridor whilst muttering under her breath, pulling Severus along by his sleeve. Severus remained silent, though a small smile formed on his face when he heard some of the mumblings escaping her mouth.

The red head spotted a compartment several carriages down, and dragged Severus into it, noticing it was occupied by two girls.

"Hello, do you mind if we sit here?" Lily asked breathlessly, running a hand through her hair. The two girls nodded, and Lily flopped into a seat, joined by a rather uncomfortable looking Severus.

A moments silence passed, until one of the girls, a petite dark haired girl who looked slightly familiar for some reason, leant forwards and extended her hand to Lily.

"Hi, I'm Holly, Holly Knight".

Lily glanced away from her shoes, which she had been determinedly staring at in her bad mood, and smiled timidly.

"Lily Evans," she took the girls hand and shook it. Holly smiled warmly, and gestured to the pixie like blonde girl beside her, "This is Christina Coddlesworth, who prefers to be called Chris, apparently".

"Christina's a right mouthful," the blonde girl affirmed, her blue eyes twinkling. Lily giggled, and placed a hand on Severus' arm. He stiffened slightly, but remained impassive.

"This is my friend Severus Snape, is this your first year too?"

The two girls nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, I'm so excited. I've been waiting for this ever since I found out what it was," grinned Chris, bouncing slightly in her seat.

Lily smiled sheepishly, "I didn't know what _this _was until Sev told me, I'm a – what was it," she looked to Severus, "A Muggle-born".

Severus nodded stiffly, but made no other acknowledgment that the other girls were there.

Chris and Holly exchanged significant looks, but said nothing.

"S'ok, they'll explain everything once we get there. Frankly, I haven't got a clue what to expect, my family said they didn't want to ruin the surprise," Holly added darkly. Chris and Lily giggled, Lily feeling herself warming to the two girls already. They seemed so friendly.

"You seemed a little angry when you came in," Chris commented, lounging back in her seat, "What's up?"

Lily puffed out her chest a little, her eyes flashing, "Oh, these two boys were rather rude to Sev before".

Chris nodded, "What were their names? Do you know?"

"James Potter and Sirius Black," replied Severus promptly, seeming quite proud of himself for some reason, "Troublemakers, if you ask me".

Lily nodded, smiling at the tabby cat that had just climbed onto her lap.

"So _Sev_," started Holly, slightly annoyed that this greasy little boy had bad mouthed a member of her family, "Tell us about yourself".

Lily frowned at the tone in which Holly addressed Severus, but said nothing.

"Im not sure I'd care to tell a stranger about myself," sneered Severus. Holly looked slightly taken aback, and Chris shrugged, "It's called making friends".

Lily bit her lip, and turned to Severus, "Umm, maybe we should find another compartment," she suggested, at a loss as to why people weren't warming to her friend.

Severus shrugged, and looked away.

"No, sorry," Holly quickly amended, "Stay, really. It's just, James Potter, well, he's my cousin, so...uhh..."

"Your cousin," Lily seemed rather shocked, "I thought you looked a little familiar, you two look a little like each other".

"So I've heard," Holly replied wryly, "In fact, I said I'd meet him on the train. I'll tell him off for annoying your friend too," Holly winked at Lily, who giggled and smiled brightly.

~**~

"Making enemies already?"

The five boys, including James and Sirius, glanced up from their conversation about Puddlemere United's new keeper, and saw dark haired, dark haired girl casually leaning against the door frame, a small smirk playing about her features.

"Hey Holly," greeted James, jumping up and hugging her, "Guys, this is Holly Knight, my cousin".

Sirius glanced appreciatively at Holly, and held out his hand, "Nice to meet you".

Holly smiled, and shook his hand, greeting Aiden, Brian and Donald too. She took a seat next to Brian, and narrowed her eyes at James.

"What?" cried James defensively, "What have I done now?"

"What did you say to Snape?" asked Holly.

"Who?"

"The greasy haired kid, what did you say?" she repeated.

James frowned, "Don't tell me you've actually been talking to him?"

Holly rolled her eyes, "No, I haven't, theres something about that kid I don't like, but I just wanted to find out for a friend...Lily is _very _angry with you".

James looked rather confused, "The red head...is that Lily?"

Holly nodded, "Yes, and she's seems to be good friends with Snape. What exactly happened?"

"Snivellus seemed a little too slimy for our liking. He insulted our intelligence, so we insulted his," replied Sirius proudly.

Holly rolled her eyes, "I think that's the wrong attitude to have, umm...serious, isn't it?"

Sirius' shoulders sagged a little, and he leant back, mumbling incoherently. The boys in the compartment sniggered, and James shared and amused look with Aiden.

"Anyway, I just thought I'd come and clear things up. Oh, Jonny made prefect you know," she added.

"Yeah, Aunt Ivy called mum. How did he manage that, he's always telling me the trouble he and his friends get into," chuckled James.

"No idea, but he said he's come and find you later on, so you can ask him then," smiled Holly, "Well it was good to see you James, guys, I'll see you at the sorting".

"Okay, see you Holly," called James, as she disappeared into the corridor.

"Jonny made prefect, oh this is perfect, we'll get away with murder," grinned James mischievously.

Sirius matched his smile, then glanced at the door, making sure no one was listening.

"Hey James?"

"Yeah?"

Sirius smirked, "Your cousin is really fit".

Aiden, Brian and Donald burst into fits of laughter, and James glared at Sirius.

"Oh you are dead!"

~*~

After much tumbling about, James and Sirius finally managed to settle down long enough to realise the food trolley had reached their compartment.

"Brilliant! Food!"

Sirius jumped to his feet and bounded out of the compartment, closely followed by a chuckling James and Aiden. James' mouth began to water as he spied the sumptuous array of sweets and treats piled onto the rickety trolley, not having realised just how long it had been since his pancake breakfast.

"How's about we pull our money together and just get a bit of everything," suggested Sirius, delving into his jacket pocket and pulling out a handful of sparkling gold coins. James and Aiden nodded, purchased their choices, and returned to their compartment laden down with armfuls of sweets.

The boys dove right into the treats, Sirius in particular stuffing his face with as much as humanly possible.

"Sirius, you may want to slow down, choking to death before you even make it Hogwarts...well, that would be a shame, wouldn't it," smirked James. Sirius pulled a face at James, opening his mouth and showing him a mush of chocolate and jelly. Beside him, Brian recoiled in disgust, whilst James let out a snort of laughter.

BANG!

The five boys jumped to their feet, wands already pulled out; regardless of the fact they knew about as much magic as a peanut between them.

"What the hell was that?" asked James, inching towards the door. The other four shrugged, and James slid the compartment door open, revealing a round, tubby boy lying on the floor and clutching his stomach.

"Whoa, you okay?" asked James, kneeling down next to the boy. The boy turned a watery gaze to James, and nodded. James pulled him up, and pushed him into the compartment.

"Stay here," he said, before James and Sirius both stepped into the corridor, the other three boys remaining behind to tend to the tubby boy.

"I should have known," muttered Sirius, as the two saw a small group of snarling witches and wizards. A particularly good looking girl, with silvery blonde hair and porcelain looking skin stepped forward, sneering.

"Sirius, we've been looking for you," smirked the girl.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Shove off Cissy, what do you think you're doing hexing first years".

"You know her?" asked James quietly.

"Cousin," mumbled Sirius.

"Dear baby cousin, what do you think _you're_ doing with the likes of him," spat Narcissa Black, pointing her wand to James.

"I'd put that down if I were you," warned James. The gaggle of students snickered, all of them glancing at Narcissa.

"Oh, he's a brave one alright, you're Potter's son, aren't you?" sneered a tall, dark haired and burly young man.

"So what if I am," replied James through gritted teeth.

The group of students glanced at each other, smirking.

"No reason, we happen to know of your father. Rather well, actually," commented a blond boy, he looked to be about sixteen, and had an air of snobbery about him, "Auror, isn't he?"

James nodded, grinding his teeth, "Yeah".

The students chuckled, and James noticed they all seemed to be wearing green and silver ties. Two boys who looked to be the same age as James and Sirius cracked their knuckles in a threatening manner, and grinned.

"Come on Lucius," Narcissa smiled sweetly at the tall blond boy, "We'll leave my cousin to his little...acquaintances".

Sirius and James glared after the group as they hurried back into their compartment. The two stood in silence for a moment, before James turned to Sirius, gaping.

"Family? I feel sorry for you mate".

Sirius grimaced, and narrowed his eyes, "You and me both".

The two returned to the compartment to find Aiden trying to get the small tubby boy to talk.

"What's your name?" asked James, as he and Sirius took their seats. The small boy gave a frightened squeak, his watery blue eyes darting around the compartment.

"His names Peter Pettigrew," sounded Aiden, "He's fine, it was just a small hex, no lasting damage".

James nodded, and turned back to Peter, "You okay mate, what happened?"

Pete bit his lip, "They...they just...hexed..." he squeaked. James looked apologetically at Peter.

"Don't worry mate, just stick with us, we won't let them bother you".

Peter smiled shakily, and seemed to relax a little. Sirius grabbed a chocolate frog, and tossed it at Peter, "Here, food always makes me feel better".

"I think we've already realised that," grinned James. Sirius jumped from his seat, and promptly began a rather rough play fight with James. Aiden and the boys rolled their eyes, and picked up the magazine he had intended to read earlier. Peter laughed at Sirius and James's antics, and grew even more relaxed. He liked those two, and decided sticking with them would probably be the best plan.

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_Like it? Loathe it? Let me know :)_


	3. The Sorting

_A/N: And here's chapter three! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapters, I'm glad people like the story :)_

_**Michael4HPGW: **Thanks alot, I'm glad you liked it. Oh, and I'll definitely be seeing it through to end, you don't have to worry about that :) _

_**Fairywolf:** Wow, thanks :D. I'm always worried about my style of writing, it's nice to hear that you think it's good! Yeah, I think every HP fan would love a Marauders era and a Post- Deathly Hallows series, only time will tell if J.K decides to write about Harry's world again._

_**mimi:** Thank you, glad you liked it :)_

**Disclaimer:** _I forgot to put one of these up, my bad. I don't own James, I don't own Sirius, I don't own Remus, I don't own Peter, and I don't own Lily Evans. I own my OC's, but they're not worht much considering they live in a world I don't own...so...don't sue me! It's just fan fiction, just a bit (lot) of fun._

_

* * *

_

**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Three**_

**_The Sorting_**

James glanced down at the grey jumper and black uniform he wore, noting that no matter how hard he tried, he still looked as though he'd just rolled out of bed. Sirius, who had actually fallen asleep on the train in his uniform after eating as many pumpkin pasties as James assumed humanly possible, looked perfect without even trying, as well as Aiden, who looked very studious indeed. Peter looked a little messy too; however it seemed to suit him well, and the other boys looked normal, really.

The sky outside was clear, and the night seemed surprisingly warm for September. As the train slowed to a stop, nerves began to set in through all of the first years, even Sirius who seemed the most confident of them all.

"Let's go," started James, "...uhh...what do we do with our trunks?" asked James.

Sirius scratched his head, "I think we just leave them here...yeah, we do," he confirmed, noticing the older students leaving their luggage behind and filing out of the train. James nodded affirmatively, and led his new friends out of the train and onto the platform in Hogsmeade.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!"

James turned, and his mouth fell open. Towering above even the seventh years, was the largest man – person – James had ever seen.

Sirius whistled in awe as he spotted the bearded man, "Whoa...he's huge!"

"Come on now, firs' years follow me!" continued the enormous man. James studied him for a moment. He had black, beetle like eyes, a matted black beard and matching length of hair. He was bulky, even more so by the large moleskin coat he wore. He had quite an intimidating presence, but his face was kindly and crinkled, and yet again James found himself drawn to another stranger.

"Hello ther', you mus' be Potter's boy, names Rubeus Hagrid," greeted the man named Hagrid. James wondered how Hagrid knew his parents, but waved it aside as he and his fellow first years were ushered towards a vast lake.

James watched as Hagrid began loading students into small boats dotting the edge of the lake.

"No mor' an' four to a boat now, get goin'!"

Aiden, Brian and Donald clambered into a boat already occupied by a slight, brown haired boy, leaving James, Sirius and Peter to catch the next one along.

"Is it alright if I get this one?"

James looked up to see a small boy with sandy hair eyeing them timidly. He nodded, and nudged Sirius to make room. The boy climbed in, looking rather jumpy indeed, and offered a small smile. He looked rather tired, James thought, and quite nervous. But then again, everyone seemed nervous.

James grinned when he heard cheer, as the boat began to move of its own accord.

"This is brilliant!" exclaimed Sirius, leaning over the edge of the boat and looking into the glassy lake below.

James opened his mouth to respond, when he spotted the magnificent castle that was Hogwarts appear. A series of gasps, 'ooohhh's' and 'aaaahhh's' sounded from the small boats, and James pulled Sirius's head up to see the enchanting castle that would become their second home.

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Sirius in awe. He certainly was _very _loud. He glanced at Remus, whose warm brown eyes were gazing wistfully at the castle, as if he couldn't believe his luck at being here.

As the castle grew closer, the whispers of appreciation could be heard. The vast, stone building adorned with twinkling lights shining through the many windows towered above them, hundreds of turrets and towers stretching towards the heavens. James barely registered the cave they were slowly entering, and heard the murmurs of disappointment as the castle disappeared from view.

The many students tumbled out of their boats, all of them shaking with either nerves, excitement or a mixture of both. For James and Sirius, it was mostly excitement. For Peter and Remus, it seemed to be mostly nerves.

Hagrid led the first years up a winding stone path, and several moments later, arrived at a large wooden door. He grinned at James and his friends, who had pushed to the front eagerly, then knocked several times.

The door creaked open, revealing a tall, stern looking woman with black hair flecked with several strands of grey. Her square glasses glinted in the light spilling out of the door, and she nodded towards Hagrid, who quickly sidled past the woman, and hurried off towards the great hall without a word.

"I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House and Professor of Transfiguration, if you will follow me please," she waved her hand as a signal to follow, and led the students into a large ante chamber.

"The sorting will begin in a few moments, if you would please ensure you all look presentable, I will take you into the hall," she continued. James caught her eye for a moment, and decided this was a woman not to be messed with.

Professor McGonagall drifted her eyes over the students as if inspecting them, lingering for a moment on Peter, then nodded to herself. She turned, and disappeared through a side door, leaving the first years to chatter excitedly amongst themselves.

"What did you say your name was?" Sirius turned to the sandy haired boy. The boy shied back a little, and shook his head.

"I didn't. I'm Remus, Remus Lupin".

"Sirius Black," Sirius mockingly bowed, "At your service. This is James Potter, and the messy one his Peter Pettigrew".

Peter squeaked at being addressed, and James grinned, extending a hand to shake Remus'. He seemed awfully quiet.

"We didn't see you on the train, already had a run in with a bunch of Slytherins," he exclaimed proudly. Remus managed a chuckle, but it was barely heard above the noise.

James was about to say something else when stern looking Professor McGonagall returned to the ante chamber, and the chatter died down.

"We're ready for you now," she announce, smiling slightly, "Follow me, single file".

Turning swiftly, she opened the great double doors to her left, and led the students into the great hall.

James looked on in a mixture of nervousness and awe as Professor McGonagall led the first years into the Great Hall. Four long, polished wooden tables took centre stage, whilst a fifth; smaller table headed the hall, where the teachers sat. Candles floated a few feet above the heads of the students, casting a welcoming glow throughout the hall. James glanced at the ceiling, and nudged Sirius, who whistled in appreciation. The ceiling, or rather lack thereof, was composed of what seemed to be the night sky, which was currently clear and adorned with a blanket of twinkling stars.

The line of students stopped, and Professor McGonagall stepped onto the raised platform, and the chatter in the hall died down. James' attention was drawn to a rickety looking three legged stool in the centre of the platform, atop of which, was a frayed, ancient looking hat.

"We will now begin the sorting of our new students," McGonagall gestured to the hat, which suddenly, and inexplicably came to life. A rip appeared just at the seam of where the hat joined to its rim, the wrinkles forming what could appear to be two eyes and a nose. The rip suddenly opened, and the hat began to sing.

'_Welcome, welcome little ones,  
__To Hogwarts, strong and true,  
__And learn great things, I'm sure you will  
__Before your years are through.  
_

_It may be strange to see a hat,  
__As old and wise as me,  
__But never fear, for you will find,  
__I never bite, you see.  
_

_But first I have a duty,  
__A task to carry out,  
__To sort you into houses,  
__Is what I am all about.  
_

_Perhaps you belong in Gryffindor,  
__For those daring few,  
__With hearts of lions and nerves of steel,  
__Is where I will sort you.  
_

_Or maybe brains are your great talent,  
__For then I say, RAVENCLAW!  
__Those witty folk never miss a beat,  
__The smartest of the four.  
_

_But what of dear old Hufflepuff?  
__Where loyalty is their game,  
__Fair and true, and you will see,  
__They'll treat you all the same.  
_

_And finally, the wizard Slytherin,  
__Who prized ambition above all,  
__With cunning minds and purest blood,  
__Were his choice by far.  
___

Yet as I look among you,  
_I wonder, is this right?  
__To separate you all,  
__Will this be your plight?  
_

_There is one thing connects us,  
__Though some may disagree.  
__Your blood that flows within your veins,  
__Is all the same, you see.  
_

_Be you Muggle born, or pure-blood,  
__Or maybe half-blood too.  
__It doesn't matter, it shouldn't matter,  
__We are all wizards through and through.  
_

_So though you will be chosen,  
__For a different house to your peers.  
__Keep in mind and in your heart,  
__Unity must persevere.  
_

_And now we are here, in this great school,  
__A thousand years apart,  
__And still I do this every year,  
__And look into your heart.  
_

_Are you brave, are you clever?  
__The loyal or ambitious kind?  
__We'll come on down, and let's take a look,  
__At what's inside your mind.'  
_

The hall burst into tumultuous applause, and James and Sirius began whistling loudly. The noise quickly abated as the first name was called out.

"Adams, Lisa!"

A timid looking girl, with wispy blonde hair stepped forward, and tentatively placed the hat onto her head. James watched interestedly as the hat seemed to be thinking, then he chuckled at the fact that he found it perfectly normal for a hat to think. A few moments passed, and the hat suddenly cried out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Lisa Adams smiled shakily, and jumped down from the stool, rushing towards the cheering table on the far left.

"Black, Sirius!"

Sirius flashed a grin at James, and strode fearlessly towards the hat. James glanced at the second table on the right, the students expressions were smug and expectant, their eyes fixated on Sirius.

Sirius jammed the hat on his head, and waited for the decision to be made.

The hat took a little longer the it had for Lisa Adams, and James waited on bated breath to hear the outcome. Several minutes later, the hat shouted -

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The students at table on the far right jumped to their feet, cheering and clapping as Sirius made his way towards him. James noticed the table next to it, presumably the Slytherin table, and inwardly chuckled at the expressions of horror and disgust on their faces.

"Byrd, Theresa".

James turned his attention back to the hat, where a short dark girl was now being sorted.

After Theresa was sorted into Ravenclaw, and two new Hufflepuffs were sorted, Pamela Clavering and Donald Cobbett from James' compartment, "Coddlesworth, Christina," was called.

A platinum blonde head scurried through the crowd of first years, blue eyes flashing in excitement. Christina grinned at Lily and Holly, before setting herself onto the stool.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat bellowed after a moment's pause.

Chris squeaked in relief, and jumped down from the stool, waving at Lily and Holly as she passed. Sirius moved up the table to give her room, and winked as she sat down. Chris blushed slightly, and rolled her eyes.

"Cowell, Laura".

A nervous looking girl with light brown hair and pale blue eyes stepped forwards, smiling nervously at a group of girls she'd been standing with. A moment later, she was sorted into Ravenclaw.

Gwyneth Denham and Nancy Dunn became the first Slytherins of the year, and James was pleased to hear several boo's coming from the Gryffindor table. Soon enough, the snobby red head from the train was called up.

"Evans, Lily".

James perked up slightly as he watched the flame haired girl walk timidly towards the sorting hat.

Lily shakily placed the hat on her head, and squinted her eyes shut.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily grinned in relief as she heard the tumultuous applause from the Gryffindor table. James smirked at the audible groan he heard from _Snivellus_. Lily promptly set the hat back down, and hurried over to her new house table, hugging Chris as she got there.

Karen Fisher was next, sorted into Slytherin, whilst the rather pretty Heloise Gibson became a Ravenclaw. James positively beamed at the next name being called out.

"Knight, Holly".

She caught James eye as she passed, flushing red as she often did when she had to get up in front of people. James hid his grin, and threw a quick thumbs up.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

James clapped loudly, along with the rest of the Gryffindors. He spotted Lily and Chris congratulating Holly, and further down the table, his older cousin Jonny whooping loudly, much to Holly's annoyance.

"Lupin, Remus".

James clapped Remus on the back, and Remus shakily approached the sorting hat, placing the hat upon his head and held his breath.

For a long time, the hat made no sound. James chewed his lip, looking worriedly at McGonagall, who seemed unfazed.

After several minutes, the longest it had taken to sort anyone, he heard -

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus couldn't help but grin as he heard the cheers, predominantly from Sirius and James, as he approached the Gryffindor table. Sirius greeted Remus a little over excitedly, causing several students, particularly female, to break out into giggles.

Aiden McKinnon, whom James had hoped would end up a Gryffindor too, was next, and sorted into Hufflepuff. James smiled as he passed, thankful he at least wasn't a Slytherin. Brian Milburn was next, being sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Moore, Bridget".

James watched the tiny freckled girl bound up to the Sorting Hat, eagerly placing the hat on her head and waiting patiently for it to begin.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat cried almost immediately.

Bridget grinned happily, and hurried off towards the Gryffindor table, greeting Lily, Holly and Chris as she sat down.

"Mulciber, Gareth".

The bulky, sneering boy, another that James and Sirius had argued with on the train strode forward pompously, smirking to the Slytherin table. No sooner had the boy set the hat upon his head, than the word "SLYTHERIN!" was screamed. Mulciber swaggered towards the Slytherin table, grinning slyly at James as he passed.

"Pettigrew, Peter".

Peter timidly stepped forward, with the aid of a friendly nudge from James. He stumbled upon reaching the stool, and flushed as he heard the snickers in the hall. The hat paused for a moment, and James silently crossed his fingers.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Peter squeaked at the voice, and practically ran towards Remus and Sirius, stumbling several times.

"Potter, James".

James heart skipped a beat, his legs moving of their own accord and sending him towards the sorting hat. His breathing became shallow as nerves took over, and on shaking legs, he lowered himself onto the stool. He glanced at Sirius, Remus and Peter, all three of whom had their fingers crossed. The hat lowered over his eyes, and all people and surroundings were blocked out.

"Ahhh Mr Potter....your bravery and loyalty are outstanding...not a bad mind either....you will go far Potter...I see much ahead of you...many trials and tests of character...yes there is no doubt that you belong in...GRYFFINDOR!"

James laughed as relief swept through him. He heard the roars and cheers of Sirius and Remus, and could almost hear the timid cheering of Peter. Grinning like a mad man, James caught the eye of a certain red haired girl. He grinned, and winked as he sat down next to a cheering Sirius. Lily rolled her eyes in disgust, the memory of the incident on the train all too fresh.

James watched Kathy Reed, another pretty girl, become a Ravenclaw. He scowled as another Slytherin, Evan Rosier, was added to the throng. James recognised him as one of the knuckle cracking boys from the train. Then there was Kassandra Ryan, a rather spacey looking girl, who was sorted into Hufflepuff. Yet another Slytherin, a hard looking Janet Sharpe, swaggered down to the table beside the Gryffindors, and Aubrey Smith was sorted soon after, into Hufflepuff.

"Snape, Severus!"

"More like Snivellus," whispered James, causing Sirius to chuckle loudly and Peter and Remus to look on in confusion. Professor McGonagall caught the boy's eyes and glared. James stifled his laughter, and watched the frail looking, greasy haired boy place the hat upon his head.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat screamed instantly.

"No surprises there," muttered Sirius over the cacophony of applause from the table beside them. Snape smirked at James as he sat down, and made a point of waving at Lily, who waved back. James felt a strange tightness in his chest, and suddenly felt very angry. He turned back to the sorting, where there were only a few students left.

The last students to be sorted were the cheeky looking Timothy Stebbins, Jose Talbott who seemed quite friendly with Timothy, and Steven Wilsey. All three were sorted into Ravenclaw, much to their apparent joy.

The chatter died down, as an ageing, silver haired man took the spot where the sorting hat had once been. James's eyes lit up as he recognised in his opinion, the greatest wizard who had ever lived, Albus Dumbledore. Through half moon spectacles, Dumbledore surveyed the many students, a small smile playing across his face.

"Before we begin out wonderful feast, I have a few notices to inform you of. As always, the Forbidden Forest is of course, off limits to all students. Mr Filch has also kindly reminded me that the list of banned objects is available in his office, should any of you need to see it".

James quirked an eyebrow as he saw the small sparkle in Dumbledore's eyes as they rested upon he and his friends.

"Now, I know I am hungry, as I'm sure you all are too...let the feast, begin!"

James jumped slightly as the empty golden plates before him suddenly filled with sumptuous looking food. Plates piled high with fat sausages, large trays full of thick, golden chips. Whole chickens presented rather elegantly were sat next to bowls of peas, carrots and various other fresh vegetables. Steaming boats of gravy were dotted here and there, whilst crispy fish fingers lay in all their delicious appeal. James laughed out loud at Sirius, who looked as if Christmas had come early, and began piling his plate with anything in reach.

As the many students of Hogwarts began digging in to the sumptuous meals before them, the noise in the hall reached staggering heights, as students recapped their summers, swapped jokes and stories and various pieces of gossip they had learned since boarding the train. At the Gryffindor table, the talk turned to the various lessons the first years would be taking.

"I'm looking forward to Transfiguration myself," started James, "It was my dad's favourite subject, mum liked it too".

"Yeah," agreed Sirius, swallowing a mouthful of mashed potato, "But I think Defence against the Dark Arts will be the one for me, I can't wait".

James nodded, and turned to Lily, Chris, Holly and Bridget, who were also discussing subjects.

"I'm looking forward to Charms I think, it seems like such an interesting subject, also History of Magic, I want to learn as much as possible about it," sounded Lily, her voice was high and full of excitement.

Holly pulled a face, "Urgh, no way. My brother says it's the most boring subject ever, apparently it's the only subject ever to be taught by a ghost!"

"The Professor is a ghost!" exclaimed Lily, "Wow!"

"Yeah, my mum said one day he just got up out of his chair and left his body behind," piped up the freckled Bridget Moore to many guffaws of laughter.

"Can you imagine that," exclaimed Chris, "Just waking up one day and being a ghost! It's mental!"

"Unfortunately, the fact that he's a ghost doesn't make the class any more interesting," sounded a smirking voice from near James.

"It's no wonder you're dropping it after this year," chuckled James, "Following into the family business, eh Jonny".

"Of course," grinned Jonny, Holly's older brother, ruffling James's hair, "Aurors till the end".

"Mum'll flip if she finds out you wanna be an Auror, you know what she's like," warned Holly, reaching for another chicken leg.

Jonny shrugged, "He's a prefect Holly my sweet," sounded another voice. The occupants of conversation looked up to see a scruffy, blond boy grinning cheekily, "Jonny boy can just sweet talk her".

"Alright, Simon," James grinned, nodding to the new arrival. Simon Meadowes, one of Jonny's best friend and 'partner in crime' mock saluted back and squeezed in next to Remus.

"Jamsey boy, always a pleasure!"

James chuckled, and turned to Jonny again.

"How did you get to be a prefect anyway, Jonny, from what you and Aunt Ivy constantly told us, you're one of the biggest trouble makers in the school," grinned James.

"My kinda guy," chuckled Sirius. Jonny beamed at the pair, and avoided looking at a glaring Holly.

"Well, it's only a couple of pranks, but I guess those days are over," he sighed, tapping his prefect badge, "I do however expect my dear cousin to carry the torch since Holly's a lost cause".

"I am not a lost cause!" snapped Holly, glaring at James and Jonny, who were cackling loudly.

"You can count on us Jonny," James mock saluted his cousin.

"Good, now if I'm not mistaken, I'll be leading you lot up to the tower soon, so hurry up with those deserts, I'm off to find Liv". Jonny patted James on the back, and left the table to greet a pretty, curly haired Ravenclaw girl.

"Your cousin seems really cool, you were right, we'll get away with murder," smiled Sirius impishly. James nodded, and glanced at Lily, who seemed to be determinedly avoiding meeting his gaze. Rolling his eyes, James continued to toy with his desert until the last morsels of food disappeared from their plates.

Professor Dumbledore stood up, and raised his hands to signal quiet.

"If our new prefects would kindly gather the first years, I wish you all good night. Sleep well".

The students of Hogwarts simultaneously rose, and filed out of the great hall, chatting admittedly and yawning. Jonny and his fellow prefect Nora Weathers waited for the first years to line up behind them, and led them out of the hall after bidding goodbye to Simon, and the Prewett twins Gideon and Fabian, who had seemed to have wanted to hang around and show the first years around too.

"Now you wanna watch out for the staircases, they tend to move," narrated Jonny as they climbed the stairs and winded through the twisting corridors, "Doors too, some of them aren't even doors, but you'll get used to them, I know I did and I'm not exactly the brightest of the bunch".

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all sniggered, and pushed to the front so they were directly behind Jonny.

~**~

The small gaggle of first years stopped before a large, ornate painting of a rather voluptuous woman dressed in a rather over the top frilly pink gown.

"Hello Jonathan dear, congratulations, I knew you'd make prefect," smiled the portrait of the fat lady.

"Stop it, you're making me blush," joked Jonny. He turned to the first years, "Password's Mischief Managed," his grin faltered under Holly's glare, "Yeah, I made that one up...come on sis lighten up".

Holly shook her head, but couldn't hide her smirk as they climbed through the portrait hole and into the Gryffindor common room.

"Wow!" breathed Peter, speaking for them all.

A large fire crackled merrily on one side of the room, casting a warm, inviting glow over the scarlet walls. Banners adorned with the Gryffindor crest hung from the walls, and squashy chairs and sofas of various colours and sizes littered the room. Polished wooden tables were set around the perimeter of the room, and James noticed the common room gave a wonderful view of the Quidditch pitch.

"Boy's on the left, girls on the right," called Jonny, snapping the first tears from their observations of their new common room, "And guys," he turned to James and his friends, "Don't bother trying to get into the girls dormitories, the bloody stairs turn into a slide".

James and his friends howled with laughter at the bitter look on Jonny's face, and bade him goodnight, hurrying towards their dorm room.

~**~

"Fantastic!" grinned Sirius, rushing over to one of the large, four poster beds in the room and proceeded to bounce up and down merrily on it. James picked one in between Sirius and Remus, and flopped down onto the squashy mattress. He glanced at the foot of his bed, where his trunk had already been brought up, and noticed his tawny owl Merlin hooting cheerfully near the window.

James crossed the room, and opened Merlin's cage. The owl hooted its thanks, and spread its wings, soaring through the window and off into the night.

"This place is brilliant," he smiled to himself, glancing over at Sirius, who was in such a rush to get into his pyjamas he had both of his legs stuck in one of the legs. Remus seemed to take pity on him, and tried to help him whilst Peter giggled quietly.

James felt his smile grow, as he looked at the three boys he was quickly becoming very fond of.

"And I was worried about making friends," he scoffed to himself, before running to tackle a newly freed Sirius.

~**~

Lily giggled as she; Holly, Bridget and Chris bounded into their new dorm room and began jumping on the beautifully carved four poster beds.

"Can you believe this place?! It's even better than I imagined!" cried Chris, jumping from Lily's chosen bed to her own, her face flushed with excitement. Holly flopped down, sinking into her pillows and kicking off her shoes.

"I'm so excited to start my lessons," smiled Lily, pulling out a pair of emerald green pyjamas. Her mother seemed to be fond of buying Lily things that were green, citing that they made her eyes stand out even more.

"Me too, though Jonny says the homework for the first years is awful, did you know we have to pass our tests to even get into the second year," exclaimed Holly. Lily felt a small knot form in her stomach. She had read the books she had bought from Diagon Alley, but she had no idea about magic. It was okay for Holly, Bridget and Chris; they had all grown up with magic. Bridget, who strangely seemed to sense something was up, crossed the room and hugged Lily.

"Don't you worry about the tests and the magic, 'cause I haven't got a clue either".

Lily giggled, and watched as her three friends resumed bouncing on their beds. They weren't going to get a wink of sleep tonight, that was for sure.

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_Love it? Hate it? Let me know, reviews are my passion :)_


	4. Our First Day

_A/N: Chapter four :D  
Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing the last chapter, I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying it_

_I'm not sure who was the Minister for Magic during the Marauders Era, so for simplicities sake, I'm using Millicent Bagnold._

_And now onto review responses :)_

_**larabrambleofbywater:** I love your name, is it anything to do with LOTR? Coz I love that :). yes! This story was posted ages ago, but after a few annoying glitches, it was deleted. It's nice to see an old reader around, I had quite a few readers last time around and it broke my heart to see it go. Yeah Holly was Evey, but for some reason, the name Holly seemed to fit more, you know. I'm glad you like the OC's too, that's something I always worry about, whether they're believable enough. Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for reviewing, I hope you stick around :)_

_**quirky-as-alice:** Thanks! ha, Sirius is my favourite character too, if I'm honest. Thanks for reading :)_

_**Fairywolf:** Thank you very much, I'm glad you're enjoying it, and it means alot to hear you say it's well written and fun to read too :) I'm gonna try for an update a day, pending real life and what not, but there shouldn't be too much time between updates. Thanks for reading :)_

_**appleeater123:** Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Here's chapter four, hope it's a good read! _

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Four**_

_**Our First Day**_

Lily awoke bright and early next morning, the excitement of beginning her first classes at Hogwarts too great to ignore. The sun was bright, though a definite chill could be felt getting ready to set in, as was custom during September. Lily rolled over, and chuckled quietly at Holly, who was tangled in her blanket, completely knocked out, dark hair strewn and matted across her face. Lily rolled to her right, and saw Chris's empty bed. She frowned, and then heard the unmistakeable sound of someone singing rather badly.

"She's been in there for ages," mumbled a disgruntled Bridget from somewhere in the room, "Hasn't shut up since she got up".

Continuing to chuckle to herself, Lily pulled herself out of bed, sorted through her uniform and tip toed towards the dormitories bathroom. She pulled open the door and nabbed herself a shower stall, cringing at the out of tune song Chris was currently belting out.

After a rather long shower, which she thoroughly enjoyed, Lily readied herself quickly and entered the dorm room.

"Lil's will you _please_ tell this idiot to leave me alone before I hex her," grumbled Holly from beneath her blanket. Lily giggled, shaking her head, and dragged Chris away from Holly's bed, "Here Chris, make yourself useful and plait my hair".

"Sure thing boss," a fully dressed Chris mock saluted, and sat on the end of Lily's bed to plait her auburn locks. They heard Holly grumble something inaudible, and amble toward the showers. The three girls burst out laughing when they heard Holly scream at her new friends for using all of the hot water. Clearly Holly Knight was _not_ a morning person.

"So, excited for your first day Lils?" asked Chris, fastening one of Lily's plaits with a pretty green ribbon she found in her own hair accessories collection.

"Yes - a little nervous though, I mean, what if I can't even do any magic...what if they've made a big mistake?" asked Lily worriedly.

Bridget smiled sympathetically from her bed, "Lily, you have nothing to worry about. Whether you're a Muggle-born or a pure-blood, we're all in the same boat. You seem really smart; you'll get the gist of it straight away".

Lily grinned in thanks, "Thanks Bridget".

"No problem," smiled Bridget, as Chris continued fastening the second braid with a ribbon.

"Oh I love your hair, it's so thick. Mine always stays so flat," she grumbled, pulling at her straight platinum locks.

"At least yours is straight, mine is full of kinks," admitted Lily, "Anyway, why are worrying about hair?"

Chris shrugged, and the three Gryffindors giggled. They glanced at the door when a freshly washed Holly entered, tapping her hair with her wand and drying it instantly, "And then there's little miss perfection," teased Chris.

"Shut up," grumbled Holly, throwing her hair back in a messy bun, "I need coffee or something," she yawned.

"You're eleven!" cried Chris incredulously.

"Come on, let's get down to breakfast," laughed Lily, jumping to her feet. The three others nodded, leaving their book bags after deciding they would pick them up once they knew what lessons they would have today.

~**~

James glanced up from the Gryffindor table and spotted the Gryffindor girls chatting happily as they entered the hall. For some reason, he felt a strange urge to shout the girls over.

"Guys, scoot up," he hissed, nudging a slightly groggy Sirius.

"S'matter James," mumbled Sirius, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Just move," he whispered, as Lily and her friends came closer. He plastered a grin to his face, which quickly disappeared as the girls took seats next to some second year boys who were ogling the young girls unabashedly.

"There, I moved," sounded Sirius. James glared at him, and returned to his breakfast, slightly downhearted, and more than a little confused

"Urgh, double Potions....with the _Slytherin's!_" Sirius stuffed his timetable Professor McGonagall had just given them into his bag and raised his head to the cloudy ceiling, "Did I do something wrong big guy?"

Peter chuckled, causing him to choke on a piece of toast, and Remus having to slap him rather hard on the back.

"Don't worry Sirius, I'm sure it won't be that bad," reasoned Remus as a watery eyed Peter mumbled his thanks and downed a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Oh really," said Sirius darkly, "You dont know what the Slytherin's are like, I do".

Remus shrugged, and went back to reading his copy of the Daily Prophet. Sirius rolled his eyes, and glanced at James, who seemed to be in a mood.

"What's up Potter?" he asked loudly. James glared at Sirius, and glanced at Lily, who was immersed in her timetable.

"No idea," James muttered, looking thoroughly bemused, "Reckon that Lily girl is still angry at us?"

Sirius shrugged, pouring himself another cup of coffee, "No idea, ask her".

James grumbled something, and returned to his breakfast. Why was he down? He should be happy, giddy, joyful, even. Shaking his head, James decided it was far too early to even attempt to sort through his thoughts.

Pushing it to the back of his mind, he cheered up slightly, and joined Sirius in an early morning eating contest.

Further down the table, Lily glanced up at the Gryffindor boys, two of which were heartily beginning an eating contest, the third, cheering them on and bouncing in his seat, and the fourth, quietly reading a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Urgh, look at them, so childish," she muttered, grimacing at Sirius, who opened his mouth and showed Remus a mouthful of half chewed bacon. Holly looked up from her copy of the Daily Prophet, and Chris and Bridget peered from behind their timetables.

"Who?" they chorused.

"Potter and Black," replied Lily, "Look at them!"

"That looks fun," mused Chris, watching as James in particular tried to shove an entire sausage in his mouth. Bridget snorted, and returned to her breakfast.

"Day dreaming about Potter, are we?" teased Holly, returning to her paper. She frowned at the article she saw.

**Mysterious Disappearances in Kent**

_Reports of a mass Muggle disappearance in Kent have surfaced this morning as Minister for Magic Millicent Bagnold ordered the launch of a full enquiry._

"_We do not wish to alarm the public" said a rather flustered Bagnold, "however these recent disappearing's seem to be the work of He Who Must Not Be Named, who has made public knowledge of his distaste towards Muggles and the Muggle world. We currently have no official leads; however a full enquiry will be made...._

"I knew it was only a matter of time," whispered Holly.

"What?" asked Lily, Bridget and Chris in unison.

Holly handed her friends the paper, and bit her lip. Lily frowned, and glanced at Chris, "That's awful, who is this man?"

Bridget sighed and set down her fork, "Call's himself You Know Who, or He Who Must Not Be Named. Well, we call him that," she looked around her for signs of anyone listening; "You're not supposed to say his name".

Chris nodded sadly, "He hates Muggles, and anything to do with Muggles. I'd bet my last Galleon he's behind the disappearances".

"Have there been others?" asked Lily.

"A few," replied Bridget, "Nobody really thought anything of them until You Know Who made himself shown...good job we're safe at Hogwarts".

"Yes, but if he hates Muggles...what about our families?" asked Lily fearfully, glancing at Holly, whose father was a Muggle. Holly bit her lip, and attempted a smile, "Listen, let's not worry about that alright, we still need to go and get our bags".

The three other girls nodded, and the friends got up from the breakfast table, and hurried back to the Gryffindor common room.

~**~

"Welcome first years, to Potions!"

A short, rounded man, with gingery blonde hair and an enormous walrus-style moustache raised his arms jovially to the class, eliciting several snickers from James and Sirius. His pale, gooseberry coloured eyes glinted happily at his students, as he turned to the board behind him.

"Potions are an intricate art. To create elixirs and draughts to the standard I expect from my students will take hard work, dedication and perseverance, however, I do believe you all capable," he added with a wink. Lily caught his eye, and smiled, deciding she liked her potions professor. He seemed very jolly.

"Now, as a little starter, today we will attempt to create the Boil-Cure Potion, a simple little concoction," he added. He flicked his wand slightly, and a list of ingredients appeared on the board.

"Now, since this is your first day I will allow you to choose your own partners, however after your exams in fifth year, I will be placing you in the best suited pairs I believe you will work well in, just a little warning there. Now, chop chop!"

Professor Slughorn clapped his hands together, as his students hurried around choosing their own partners.

Lily turned to Holly, who was sitting next to her, "Holly, do you mind if I work with Sev today? I haven't seen him since the sorting".

Holly glanced over to where Severus was sitting alone, eyeing Lily hopefully, and nodded a little dejectedly.

"Sure, go ahead, I'll just work with..." she glanced around the room, frowning, "Uhhh..."

Professor Slughorn suddenly appeared, and paired Holly with a Slytherin girl named Janet Sharpe, much to Holly's annoyance.

"I really dont trust that Severus fellow," Chris whispered. Bridget nodded, her amber eyes flashing in annoyance as she heard Severus's rather slimy sounding cackle.

"Yeah, me neither, he seems a little creepy to me".

Chris nodded fervently, "You should have seen him on the train. Me and Holly tried talking to him, he was very rude".

Bridget looked over to Holly, who was sitting next to the unpleasant looking Janet, grimacing and clearly cursing her misfortune.

"Poor Holly, reckon she'll make it?"

Chris sniggered, and watched as Holly shot the girls a pleading look, to which they burst into laughter. Poor Holly indeed.

Potions passed rather uneventfully, unless you count Holly almost losing her cool with her Slytherin partner and resorting to storming away from the girl and complaining rather loudly to Slughorn that she couldn't take another minute of insults from her, or Peter adding too many stewed horned slugs and causing a large green cloud of something that smelt very similar to rotten eggs and cheese. Slughorn remarked on how adept his class seemed, (apart from Peter of course) as almost everyone managed to follow the instructions well and produce acceptable concoctions. Lily and Severus, in particular, seemed to have a natural affinity towards potions; however the biggest surprise came when Professor Slughorn announced James and Sirius's Boil-Cure potion to be 'exceptional'.

"We're just naturally talented," laughed Sirius, as Slughorn turned away from their desk beaming. Sirius caught the eye of Holly, and winked, resulting in a particularly hard shove from James.

"She's family, therefore off limits," he muttered.

Sirius scoffed, "We have rules already?"

"Yes," mumbled James, his thoughts drifting to a certain red head sitting a few seats away. He chanced a glance in her direction, and saw her scowling. He attempted a smile, which she must have interpreted as a smirk, and she rolled her eyes and returned to her conversation with Severus.

"I dont get it, she'll speak to Snivellus, but not me. What have I done?" cried James in exasperation.

"Why do you care?" asked Sirius, raising a dark eyebrow "She's just a girl".

James huffed, and remained silent for the rest of the lesson.

That afternoon the Gryffindors had their very first Transfiguration lesson, which was taught by their Head of House, Professor Minerva McGonagall. According to the older students, McGonagall was a strict, but fair teacher, who generally tended not to favour her house, or any particular student.

When the class entered the Transfiguration classroom along with the Ravenclaws, they were surprised to find no one there, save for a silver-grey tabby cat with the strangest markings around its eyes, they almost looked like glasses.

"And I thought we'd have trouble with that one," Sirius remarked, pointing to the vacated teachers desk, "She looked a bit stuffy, to be honest".

James nodded, throwing his bag down at an empty seat. He'd decided to sit with Sirius for all of his lessons. Not that there was anything wrong with Remus or Peter, but they were both rather quiet, and didn't seem to joke around as much as Sirius did.

James was about to reply when the cat at the front of the classroom suddenly jumped from the desk, and transformed into their Professor.

"Holy Hippogriff!"

"Well, I can't say I haven't heard that one before, Mr Black," sounded a stern voice laced with amusement. Sirius gaped at the woman who now stood before him. She was tall, wearing long fitted robes and a pointed witches hat. Square spectacles rested on a pointed nose, and her hair was scraped back into a tight, black bun flecked with grey.

"How in the name of Merlin did you do that!" said Sirius incredulously above the applause of his classmates. Professor McGonagall merely turned back to her desk, waving her wand towards the blackboard.

"I expect only your best when it comes to my lesson," McGonagall turned to face the class, who were clambering into seats, "I will not tolerate any less. Transfiguration can be dangerous if not properly used. Today we will begin with a simple spell. Miss Moore, could you please give each of your classmates a matchstick," Bridget took the box of wooden matches handed to her and began giving them out, "You will today attempt to Transfigure these matches into needles".

James looked down at the small wooden match stick in front of him. He looked around the classroom to see how the others were getting on. Behind him, Peter was prodding the match stick with his wand, whilst Remus was waving his slightly and muttering under his breath.

After several attempts, James found he was finally getting the hang of it. His match stick had first, gotten rather sharp at one end, and finally, he was left with a perfectly formed needle.

"I did it!" James held up his needle and showed Sirius, "Knew I'd get Transfiguration straight away," he grinned at his friend, who matched the smile, holding up his own needle.

"Minnie! Minnie, look!" Sirius cried, waving his arms in the air towards Professor McGonagall. Several students sniggered, and McGonagall quirked a thin eyebrow, her lip's tightening.

"Mr Black, whilst I am pleased you have managed to successfully transfigure your match stick, if I ever hear you address me as 'Minnie' ever again, I shall make sure you're remaining Hogwarts evenings are spent cleaning the trophy room," the Professor turned back to Christina, who's match stick had decided to grow legs and tap dance across her desk.

Sirius pouted, and let his arms fall to his side.

"Minerva it is then," he muttered, to which James snorted and punched him playfully in the arm.

"Remus, Pete, did you two get it?" James spun round in his seat and leant towards his other two friends. Peter merely shook his head, and held up his match stick, "Not yet".

"Remus?"

Remus looked up from his now pointy match stick, and silently shook his head. Remus had been very quiet since James had first spoken to him, even the night before when he and Sirius, and even Peter were talking excitedly about the upcoming lessons, his input was limited to yes and no answers. James hoped he'd come out of his shell soon, he seemed like a nice enough boy.

"You're getting there," James assured Remus, "Mine went pointy too before it turned into a needle".

Remus offered James a small smile, then turned back to his match stick. James sighed, and swivelled back around to face the front of the class.

"He's just nervous, he'll be just as loud as us in no time," Sirius grinned, patting James on the back.

James nodded, "Hopefully, poor guy seemed so jumpy last night".

Sirius merely shrugged, and began fashioning a paper aeroplane out of a scrap piece of parchment.

The rest of the day passed just as uneventfully, unless you count James and Sirius receiving the very first detention to be handed out in the entire school for levitating Heloise Gibson's pencil case out of the window, causing it to fall several storeys and smash everything inside. Whilst James and Sirius thought this quite an achievement, it being their first attempt at the Wingardium Leviosa charm, Lily merely complained throughout dinner that they were troublemakers and would be kicked out of Hogwarts by the end of the week. Nobody was quite sure why Lily seemed to have such a problem with the boys, but thought it best not to ask. She could get quite snappy when she wanted to.

~**~

After dinner, Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris settled themselves on the squashy sofas in front of a merrily crackling fire in the Gryffindor common room. Barny, Chris's tabby cat, rolled around playfully on the rug whilst Chris dragged a small piece of string along the ground for him to chase. Holly was reading _Quidditch through the _Ages, whilst Bridget decided to try and teach Lily wizard's chess, which she was failing miserably at.

"Lils, it's just like normal chess, except the pieces move," sighed Bridget.

"I know that," snapped Lily, "I've never been able to play normal chess either".

Bridget frowned at the abrupt tone in which Lily spoke, "Lils, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," sighed Lily, "Well...no I'm not. I spotted Potter and his cronies hassling Sev after Charms when you three went to the loo. What right does he have picking on someone, Severus hasn't done anything wrong!"

Holly sighed from behind her book, and rubbed her eyes tiredly, "We know Lils, but you know what people are like. Once you dont like someone, that's it. James has always been like that. I'll have a word with him if you like?"

"Yeah, if you dont mind," smiled Lily, "I know you aren't particularly fond of Sev either, but he's a really good friend, and he doesn't deserve this".

"I know Lils, I know," replied Holly soothingly. She glanced towards the portrait hole, and saw her brother, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter climb through.

"Teaching them your mischievous ways already bro?" called Holly.

"Of course, it is my duty after all," smirked Jonny. He turned to James and his friends, "I'll see you guys later, I have a date with a rather beautiful Ravenclaw in about half an hour, and if I'm late all the good broom closets will be taken".

James and his friends roared with laughter and bade goodbye to Jonny. They wandered over to the girls, and took seats on the armchairs vacant.

"So girls, how was your first day?" asked Sirius casually, eyeing Holly up rather appreciatively. Holly snorted at his look, and returned to her book.

"Fine, I guess...Potions was a beast mind you," admitted Chris, her eyes fixated on the string she was toying Barny with.

"Naaa, Potions was easy. Herbology was a bit boring, but Jonny said we get to the good stuff in second year," said James.

"I liked Charms, I think that will be a really enjoyable class," started Lily, directing her answer more to the girls than the boys.

"Yes Charms will probably be one of my better subjects," smiled Remus. Lily smiled back. Remus had been quieter than James and Sirius in their lessons, she noticed, and he seemed kinder than the latter. She decided she'd probably get on best with Remus, if she got on with him at all. She doubted she'd get a chance, with those two around.

"What about you Pete?" asked Sirius, casually flicking his dark hair out of his eyes, "What was your favourite class today?"

"Uhhh...Herbology, I guess," he squeaked. Apparently Peter became even shyer in the presence of the girls.

"Well, I'm tired, you three coming?" asked Lily, glancing at the girls. Holly nodded, and tossed her book at James who had been eyeing it hopefully, and followed Lily, Bridget and Chris up to the girl's dormitory.

James waited until the girls were out of earshot, before allowing a large grin to spread across his face.

"What?" asked Remus, quirking an eyebrow.

"She didn't glare at me...she didn't mutter anything!" he said excitedly. Remus and Sirius exchanged amused glances, and shook their heads.

"James mate, it's your first day and you already fancy the pants of that one".

James rolled his eyes, and tossed a cushion at Sirius, still unable and uncaring to hide his glee.

~**~

Lily flopped down onto her bed, sighing as she sank into the squashy mattress.

"Lily just forget about them," said Bridget soothingly.

"I don't even know why they annoy me so much," she cried in frustration.

Chris chuckled, "I think they seem alright, James and Sirius might be a little misbehaved, but Remus and Peter seem cool".

Holly nodded, "Too quiet though, once they come out of their shells I'm sure they'll be just as rowdy as the James and Black. And anyway, James isn't that bad, trust me, I grew up with him!"

"So do any of you remember your first bits of magic?" asked Chris, deciding to change the subject, "I was three, my mum said. She told me that one of my cousins had stolen my teddy bear, so in a rage, I ended up sending my toy bricks flying through the air at her," she grinned sheepishly, "Apparently I was never allowed toy bricks ever again".

The girls laughed, and Bridget was the next to speak.

"I was five, I actually remember it. There used to be this old tree by the lake near where I live, and all of the kids would go and try to climb to the top. Anyway, I made to the top, but I fell when I was climbing back down...but I kind of bounced when I landed," she grinned, "Everyone thought there was a trampoline buried under the ground, we spent weeks digging for it".

"I was four," said Holly after the girls had finished laughing at Bridget's story, "We were at James' house actually, and my aunt had made this really wonderful looking chocolate cake. So me and James tried to get it, but we couldn't reach. I just kind of...wished for it, and it started floating towards us," she paused, "I think James has respected me ever since for that".

The three other girls laughed again, then everyone looked at Lily.

Lily flushed a little, "Well...I don't remember my exact first bit of magic...but I do remember one thing. I was young...me and my sister Petunia were at the park near my house...I must have done magic before, because I remember my sister saying that I wasn't allowed to do it. Anyway, I made this flower move its petals, all by itself! It was incredible!"

"Does your sister not like magic?" asked Chris.

Lily shook her head sadly, trying her best to block the memory of the incident at the platform, "No, I think she's afraid of it. She hasn't been the same around me since I got my letter".

Bridget shook her head sadly, "That's too bad...maybe she'll come around once she see's all the amazing things you can do".

"I think that's the problem, that she can't do it," Lily sighed, "I think she's jealous".

The girls looked sadly at Lily. Holly got up and hugged her.

"You have us. I'm sure we're all going to be great friends!"

Lily smiled, her heart swelling. They were right. Only a day into her schooling, and she already had three wonderful friends. But Petunia was her sister, and no one could ever, or would ever, replace her. Maybe Bridget was right, maybe she would come around.

_Hopefully_ Bridget was right.

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_Good? Bad? Let me know :)_


	5. Flying, Halloween and Monsters

_A/N: And here's chapter five! I'm amazed at the responses I've gotten for this story, it's made me so happy! They're even better than the first time around, words cannot express how great it is that people are enjoying this. It's brilliant!_

_So far, daily updates are going well, I go back to work soon but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to have a chapter a day up :)_

_now, onto review responses:_

_**quirky-as-alice:** glad you liked it :) the first detentions of the Marauders are a momentous occasion in my opinion :D thanks for you reviewing and reading, it means alot. hope you enjoy this chapter too._

_**VampireWithGoldenEyes: **Thank you, it's such a relief the readers not only like the plot, but the way I've written it too. I was a little worried about that tbh. Christina is a mouthful, I must admit, and paired with Coddlesworth makes it even harder haha, but I love the name, and it just fit her perfectly. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you like this chapter too._

_**Fairywolf:** Thank you! Wow, that's amazing that I could make you think that, I'm so happy :D. Well, I always thought of Sirius being a cheeky old chap, so I just had to put it in. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I think you've reviewed the most out of all my readers, thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!_

_**BloodMoonRising:** Yay! I'm glad you liked it! I know, I love reading Marauder-era stories, especially ones that charter all seven years of Hogwarts. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you continue to enjoy the story :)_

_**splatteredpaint:** Wowza! That was a long review, and defo my favourite so far :D Like I said, I was worried about my style of writing, and it makes me so happy to hear you like it. The plot aswell, I'm really glad you like the idea, it's so hard to write a Marauder story that isn't too cliched, there's things I've wanted to put in, but at the last minute I've though 'no, that's just silly!' I know, I hope the chapters aren't too long, as I don't want people to lose interest, but there's just so much to write haha. My heart just swelled when you said I was a talented author, writing is my major passion in life! Thank you! Of course you can use the quote in your profile, I'm stunned you'd want to to be honest! Thank you! I hope you stick with the story and continue to enjoy it :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Marauders, or Lily, or Hogwarts, or anything to do with the wonderful world J.K Rowling has created for us. I'm simply a huge fan, especially of the Marauders :)_

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

**_Chapter Five_**

**_Flying, Halloween, and Monsters_**

The first few weeks of term were all about getting to know one another, settling into classes and homework, and of course, finding out which rivalries would last, and which were simply a clash of personalities.

James was sure he and Snape were destined to be a lasting rivalry. Whenever the pair passed each other in the halls, Snape always seemed to be smirking smugly, as if he knew something James didn't. Of course, it only worsened if Lily was around; Snape seemed to be under the impression it would anger James to be see the two talking.

Well, he _was_ right, but he wasn't going to admit that anytime soon.

Something about the slimy git screamed darkness. The way he moved, talked, the way his beady eyes glinted, James couldn't shake the feeling the boy was trouble. And the people he hung around with, they were just as bad. Looking down anyone and everyone around them, stalking arrogantly through the halls; James even heard the older students were particularly fond of hexing the younger students. James often thought with a wry smile, they'd be meeting their match if they even dared to try it with him.

Sirius seemed to think along the same lines as James did. He too despised the Slytherins, and Snape, though James also thought he needed something to distance himself from that house, and mocking Snape whenever they saw him seemed to be that way to go about it. James had no problems with that.

Remus and Peter mostly kept out of it. Remus would often frown when James and Sirius took the mick out Snape's hair or robes, which were rather shabby, but no one could miss the hint of amusement in his eyes, even if he didn't want to openly show it. Peter generally didn't join in, be he would clap excitedly or bounce on his heels whenever James and Sirius would hassle Snape. James assumed he still wasn't over the incident on the train, and didn't want to openly aggravate the Slytherins.

That, in James' opinion, was his main reason for annoying that particular house. He may have only known Peter for awhile, but hexing him on his first day was unforgivable. He'd make sure they'd pay; no one hexed his mates and got away with it.

A few weeks into term, a class came up that James had been looking forward to the most. Flying class. Though first years weren't allowed to try out for the house teams until second year, James was itching to get into the skies and show off his skills on a broom. He was a pretty damn good flyer, if truth be told.

The Gryffindors were once again paired with the Slytherins. James reckoned the reason the two houses were put together so much was to try and encourage some sort of friendship. Fat chance.

"Now, I want you all to place your right hand above the broom," Madam Hooch, a short, young Professor with spiky brown hair and yellow, hawk like eyes was standing between the row of Gryffindors on the left of her, and the row of Slytherins on the right, "And say UP!"

James, who had done this a million times before, stuck out his right hand, glanced up the row to where Lily had done the same, and said very clearly, "UP!"

The broom immediately jumped to his hand, as did Sirius' on his left. Remus' hovered for a moment, then fell back to the ground with a soft thump, and Peter's didn't move at all.

"Easy," James remarked casually, glancing back up at Lily. Her broom had done a strange sort of wiggle, but hadn't left the ground. Next to her, Holly was holding her broom and urging Lily on. On Lily's right, Christina and Bridget were positively howling with laughter; it seemed Bridget's broom had decided to zip across the grass and catch Karen Fisher's legs off guard, causing her to fall right onto her backside.

James looked over to the Slytherin line. Much to his amusement, and Snape's anger, Snape's broom hadn't moved an inch. Gareth Mulciber and Evan Rosier were currently arguing over whose broom had moved first, while a few Slytherin girls were still trying to get their brooms up.

After several minutes of trying, Madam Hooch informed the class they were now going to try and fly. She showed them how to mount their brooms, positively beaming when she informed the class that James had it perfectly right. Of course, James couldn't help the slightly cocky grin he felt when he was informed this, but then again, who wouldn't? Luckily, Lily seemed not to have noticed, and was taking pointers from Holly, who like James, had been flying since she'd started walking.

"When I blow my whistle," Madam Hooch stood a little way away from the students, "I want you ti kick off from the ground, nice and hard, hover for a few moments, then touch back down by leaning forwards slightly".

Beside him, Sirius looked ready to burst.

"Watch this," He muttered, slyly pulling his wand out of his pocket and pointing it at Snape, "Found this spell the other night when Remus made us go to the library," he muttered something James couldn't quite hear, then pocketed his wand with a triumphant grin.

"Ready, three – two – one –" Hooch blew her whistle, and the students mounted their brooms.

The class immediately burst into fits of laughter. Snape, it seemed, was having a bit of trouble with his broom. Every time he tried to climb onto it, it would move a little further away. This lasted for a few moments, until the charm Sirius had clearly put on, ran out.

"Wish – that – could've – lasted – longer –" the dark haired boy said between laughs. James merely shook his head, doubled up with mirth. Even Remus was laughing, though he seemed to be trying desperately not to.

"Who tampered with the broom!?" Madam Hooch stormed over to Snape and picked up the broomstick, "I know it was one of you, that charm was obviously cast by a first year, it didn't last long enough," he yellow eyes were narrowed.

No one owned up to the broom incident, though everyone had a pretty good idea who it was. In the end, Madam Hooch simply took twenty points from each house, and told the two houses she would be speaking with their heads of houses. James and Sirius weren't worried; McGonagall was already becoming predictable with her punishments.

The four boys were heading to the Great Hall for dinner that evening, when James was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see four girls, one of whom looked extremely annoyed.

"I know it was you," she hissed, her arms folded and one shoe tapping the ground in annoyance, "Can't you just leave him alone?"

James glanced at Sirius, who shrugged, smirking. Beside Lily, Holly rolled her eyes.

"I did nothing, Lily," James said as innocently as possible. Well, it was true. Sirius had cast the charm; James just hadn't bothered to stop him.

"I don't know what your problem is, Potter," Lily took a step closer, and James recoiled a little, "But if you don't leave him alone I'm going to make you regret it!"

The red head turned on her heel and stormed off, closely followed by the rest of the girls.

James watched her leave, torn between annoyance that she'd immediately thought it was him and not Sirius, and slight sadness that once again, he'd gotten onto her bad side.

He snapped out of his reverie by the sound of Sirius speaking.

"Dinner, anyone? – OW!"

Remus walked past a smirking James, having just smacked Sirius upside the head. Really, someone had to do it.

~**~

September passed in a haze of cloudy weather and confusing classes. The first years slowly began to get used to the many spells, potions, magical plants and in the case of History of Magic, extensive note taking required in their subjects. The students seemed to be fitting in well, settling into their own group of friends and realising their strengths and weaknesses. Lily found that Charms and Potions were her best subjects; however she seemed to be doing well in everything, and even managed to resist the stupor most students fell into during Professor Binns's endless drones about magical history. Chris, Bridget and Peter seemed to excel best in Herbology, whilst Remus and Holly were quickly becoming some of the top students in Defence against the Dark Arts. James and Sirius, to Lily's utter infuriation, seemed to be doing extremely well in just about every subject. Despite their liking for getting into trouble, and the fact that they'd already lost fifty points for various immature pranks on their fellow students, James and Sirius, along with the rest of their group of friends seemed to be well liked by the teachers. Madam Hooch, though still annoyed by the first lesson, quickly proclaimed James to be a natural when it came to flying, and wouldn't be surprised if he ended up on the team next year.

As the morning of the 31st of October dawned cold and grey, the first years prepared themselves for their first Halloween at Hogwarts. As a special treat, the classes had been cancelled thanks to some persuasion by Jonny and his fellow prefects, citing that in light of the recent disappearances that had plagued the Wizarding world, the kids deserved a little cheering up. Although those who had disappeared had been Muggles, the ever present threat of You Know Who hung over the students like a suffocating black cloud.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter decided to spend the day exploring the castle and the grounds, before heading back for the annual feast. They'd spent a lot of time just getting used to the classes, and not nearly enough time getting to see everything within the magnificent castle.

"I dont think I'll ever remember all of these," groaned Peter as James and Sirius pulled him out of the third vanishing step he'd fallen into that week. After muttering his thanks, the four friends resumed their exploration of the castle.

"What're you doing?" James frowned at Sirius, who had pulled out a small sheet of parchment and was scribbling away at it. One thing about Sirius that James had learnt, was that if he only picked up a quill when absolutely necessary.

Sirius glanced up from the parchment, and jerked his head behind him, "Writing down where that trick step was, figured we could pull a couple of tricks next time we see a Slytherin there," the dark haired boy winked at James, and returned to his parchment. James nodded eagerly and fell into step beside Sirius.

James glanced out of one of the windows near the north tower, overlooking a large stretch of grass just before the Forbidden Forest. He stopped.

"Whoa, what?" asked Sirius, as James pulled him by the collar of his jumper back to the window.

"Isn't that you're cousin?"asked James, pointing to a small gaggle of students heading towards the forbidden forest.

"Yeah," Sirius's eyes narrowed, "That's definitely Cissy," he confirmed, seeing the unmistakeable swagger of his dear cousin, "And Lucius is there too," he added spying the tall blond head of Lucius Malfoy bobbing towards the forest.

James and Sirius glanced at each other, both wearing identical smirks, both with a strange glint in their eyes.

"You thinking what I'm thinking Mr Black?" asked James.

"Oh I believe I do Mr Potter, let's go," grinned Sirius.

~**~

"Cissy, hurry up!"

"I am," hissed Narcissa, her silvery blonde hair fanning out behind her and blue eyes flashing indignantly. She sped up to join Lucius and their companions.

"Did Rodolphus tell you exactly what time to meet him?" asked Narcissa, pushing a strand of raven black hair from her dark eyes.

"Yes, now quiet! That oaf Hagrid is always out in these woods," snapped Rabastan, a thick set boy with raven hair and piercing green eyes. The three Slytherin's hurried deeper into the shadowy forest, the only sound made was the occasional snap of a trodden on twig, or the screech of some unknown creature.

~**~

"Why do you think they're in here?" asked James, pushing through the scrub as quietly as possible. Sirius glanced back, and shrugged, "No idea, although I'm hoping they'll come across a dragon or something".

"A dragon!" squeaked Peter, glancing wildly around.

"Of course not, Sirius, stop scaring Peter!" chastised Remus. Though he was often very quiet, and tended not to join in with the other three so much, Remus Lupin was slowly coming out of his shell. In fact, James and Sirius had both vowed to get him to get a detention all on his own, instead of the four he'd already served because James and Sirius decided pranking Slytherins was far better than schoolwork and inter-house co-operation.

Sirius chuckled, ignored Remus and continued forward. The four friends continued on their path, until they spotted a small group of people just ahead.

"There they are," hissed James, dragging Sirius behind a tree. The four students inched as close as they could, until they were able to hear what was being said.

"Wow Rodolphus...it's amazing," gasped Narcissa, her eyes bright with awe. From where James was standing, he could see a tall, dark haired boy showing the Slytherin's something on his forearm, a smug grin upon his face.

"You have no idea what this means, I'm practically royalty! The Lestrange name will command fear, as well as respect from now on".

"Oh Rodolphus, that's wonderful," cooed Narcissa, gazing at the taller boy with a sickly twinkle in her eye. Sirius feigned vomiting, and James had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle his laughter when they saw Lucius Malfoy scowl and step a little closer to Narcissa.

"I can't stay long," the boy named Rodolphus continued, "I just wanted to show you all, I have to go".

The group of Slytherin's nodded, and whispered their goodbyes, before turning, and disappearing back into the trees. James and the others waited until Rodolphus had disappeared, before stepping out from behind the tree.

"What the hell was all that about?" asked James, scratching the back of his neck.

"No idea," shrugged Sirius, "But I know him, he's always round my place, Bellatrix, my other cousin, she absolutely loves him," he said sarcastically. James snorted, and started walking back.

"You know, this place isn't that bad," mused Sirius, as the four made their way through the trees, "I mean, my dad told me there's werewolves and everything in here!"

Remus stiffened, and bit his lip, trying desperately not to catch anyone's eye.

"Werewolves," squeaked Peter, his eyes widening in fear.

"Relax Pete, it's not a full moon," replied James lazily, "There's nothing to..." he stopped. Sirius, who had been glancing around, walked straight into him.

"What the....James why did you....?" Sirius stopped also, his eyes widening.

"What? What is it!?" cried Peter, jumping behind James and Sirius.

"You see that," whispered James. Sirius nodded, and glanced at Remus, who was slowly backing away.

In the clearing before them, a large group of half-men, half horse creatures stood, unknowing of the four eleven year olds gaping in their direction. James glanced at Sirius, and jerked his head back. Sirius nodded, and the four friends began slowly backing away. Just when they thought they were in the clear, poor little Peter tripped backwards on a fallen tree branch, and cried out.

The centaur's heads snapped towards the boys, and scowled.

"Who goes there!" called one of the centaurs in a deep, booming voice. In the darkness of the forest, it was hard to make out who the intruders were.

James pulled Peter to his feet, and cried out, as an arrow zipped right past his ear.

"RUN!"

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter raced through the forest, stumbling and tripping over roots and fallen branches, none of them looking back until they were safely out of the forest.

~**~

Tumbling into the common room and gasping for breath, the four white faced friends collapsed into their favourite armchairs, clutching their sides, and rubbing sore legs.

"Can - can you believe...that just...happened!" gasped James, wheezing in and out.

"I...know..." panted Sirius, "It...was...brilliant!"

Remus's eyes widened incredulously, "What do you...mean....brilliant!"

Sirius struggled to catch his breath, his eyes alight with excitement, "We just....escaped...an....attack! That...was...amazing!"

James let out a small chuckle, then began to shake with laughter. Sirius let out a bark like laugh, and began positively howling.

"This...isn't....funny!" protested Remus. He glared at Peter, who began to giggle nervously.

"Oh come on....Remus," James said, his breathing starting to return to normal, "You can't say...you didn't enjoy...that".

Sirius wiped tears from his eyes, and clapped James on the back, "I can't believe...we didn't get....caught!"

"I know," grinned James, rubbing the stitch in his side.

They turned their gazes to the portrait hole, where Lily, Holly, Chris and Bridget had returned from a wander in the school grounds, and were chatting happily amongst themselves. Lily glanced over at boys, noting their red faces and tired expressions, but most of all, three grinning faces and one slightly annoyed expression.

"What's up with you four?" called Holly, frowning. The four girls crossed the room to where the boys were sitting, all adopting looks of utter bemusement.

"Been on a run?" asked Chris, flopping into a seat beside Remus.

"You could say that," beamed Sirius, before he and James burst into fits of laughter. Lily and Holly rolled their eyes, and pulled Chris back to their feet.

"Come on, the feast will be starting shortly, let's go and get ready," started Lily, who was glaring at James and Sirius. No doubt they'd been getting into some sort of trouble.

The four girls headed back towards their dormitories, frowning as they heard another roar of laughter.

"Idiots," both Lily and Holly muttered in unison.

~**~

The Great Hall looked spectacular as James, Sirius, Remus and Peter entered for the annual Halloween feast. The normal candles that usually hung several feet above the heads of the student's, were replaced with giant pumpkins carved with evil looking faces, and casting an orange glow throughout the hall. The normally clear plates were already laden with various brightly coloured treats, sweets and deserts. Sticky puddings lathered with custard tantalized and beckoned, cakes towered high above even the seventh year's heads, and various bowls of sweets could be seen every few feet.

James felt his mouth water at the sight of it all, and could only imagine how Sirius was feeling right now. By the looks of it, he'd died and gone to heaven.

The house banners hung proudly above their respective tables, as well as orange and black streamers draped throughout the hall. The ceiling above was a stormy grey, and the occasional rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. Even Peeves the Poltergeist seemed to be in the Halloween spirit, the odd little man had spent the entire day roaming the corridors wearing nothing more than a sheet and a pumpkin shoved onto his head.

As fate would have it, James and his friends actually ended up sitting next Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris. After Dumbledore gave his annual speech about the traditions of Halloween, the students began to dig in, and the chatter in the hall reached a tremendous level.

"This is amazing," grinned Lily, pulling several different sweets towards her, "I've never really celebrated Halloween before".

"Well it is _our_ holiday, isn't it, gotta do it in style," laughed Chris.

James glanced over to where Lily was sitting, feeling a strange pull in his chest once again. In the candle light, her red hair had a golden sheen to it, her emerald green eyes sparkling beautifully. James had no idea why he liked looking at Lily Evans, and if truth be told, he didn't even know why. Girls were annoying and stuffy and prissy and...and...

Lily glanced up, and met his eyes for a moment. James saw a flicker of something unknown in her eyes, before she assumed the usual glare she held only for him.

Girls were confusing.

"What are you staring at Potter," she snapped. Holly, Bridget and Chris fell silent, glancing at James, who was going slightly red.

"Is it a crime to look at people now Evans," retorted Sirius. He was becoming quite sick of the hostility towards his best friend, and was at a loss as to why Lily was like this. James was brilliant, in his opinion.

"This is none of your business Black, I suggest you keep out of it," hissed Lily, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Sirius let out a bark like laugh, "Actually, it has everything to do with me. You see, when somebody gives my best mate grief, it becomes my business".

Lily looked quite taken aback with Sirius's remark, and merely mouthed wordlessly. Sirius sat back, a proud grin on his face. James, however, merely groaned. He had a feeling Sirius had just made things alot worse.

"Fine," replied Lily coolly, "If James needs you to stick up for him, that's fair enough. But when you four are picking on Severus for no reason, I want you to remember that he is _my_ mate, and that _I_ will stick up for _him_!"

Lily jumped to her feet, and stormed from the hall, cursing under her breath. Chris, Bridget and Holly glanced at each other, then followed suit, both Holly and Bridget staring daggers at Sirius as they passed. Chris merely shot a longing look at her unfinished meal, and sighed.

Sirius looked at Remus and Peter, who were both shaking their heads, to James, who looked downright depressed.

"What!? I'm sick of it! Sick of her defending Snivellus and having a go at James all of the time. It's not fair!"

"You're so tactless Sirius," muttered Remus. Sirius glared at his friends, and a silence fell between the four of them for the first time since they had arrived at Hogwarts.

~**~

"Can you believe him!?"

Lily paced back and forth in their dormitory, shaking her fists, her eyes wild with fury, "He thinks it's perfectly acceptable to bully Sev, but when I say something to Potter _I'm_ the bad one! The nerve!"

Holly, Bridget and Chris glanced worriedly at each other.

"We know Lils, but he does have a point," reasoned Holly.

Lily spun on her heel to face her friend, "What do you mean _he has a point_!"

Holly seemed to shrink back a little, however her face remained defiant.

"Well, James hasn't actually done anything to Sni...uhh...Snape, and you are pretty hard on him sometimes".

Lily mumbled something incoherent, and resumed her pacing.

"So what am I supposed to do, let Potter get away with it!? He's a bully Holly, plain and simple!"

"No," said Chris quietly, "But Snape can look after himself, and you could at least try tolerating James. He really isn't that bad".

Lily rolled her eyes, and flopped down on her bed, "Whatever, but if he gives me reason to be angry, I'll be angry".

Holly, Bridget and Chris smiled at each, and shook their heads.

"You're a strange one Lily Evans, you know that?"chuckled Bridget. Lily picked up her pillow, and threw it at Chris. The four girls giggled, and began a rather rough pillow fight, which was interrupted by two girls Lily knew to be second years. The four Gryffindor first years stopped their pillow fight and looked quizzically at one another.

"Umm, Lily Evans?" one of the girls asked, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

"Yes?" asked Lily, pushing her dishevelled red hair out of her face and stepping towards the girls.

"James Potter wants to speak to you," she replied, before turning on her heel and hurrying back out of the dormitory.

Lily glanced at Chris, Bridget and Holly, who all shrugged, and began picking up their pillows. Lily dropped hers, and headed out of the common room.

James waited nervously at the bottom of the girl's stairs, his hand running through his hair every so often. It was a habit he'd picked up from his father, especially when he was nervous. He spotted Lily, and attempted a smile. At least this time it didn't come out as a smirk.

"Listen Potter, if you've come here just to have a go at me, you might as well - "

"I didn't," James cut her off, "I came to apologise. Sirius shouldn't have said those things...and I...well I shouldn't be such an idiot...it's just Snive...Snape gets to me, dunno why, but I'm sorry. I know he's a good mate of yours...," he trailed off, looking slightly sheepish.

Lily stood, slightly amazed that James Potter was apologising her. He didn't seem the type to apologise much. She studied him for a moment, deciding whether or not he was being sincere.

"I...uhh...well...alright," she sighed, "Apology accepted".

James's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it! It couldn't be this easy. This girl had disliked him from day one, and now...now she was standing here accepting his apology! She must like him after all, he mused.

"Uhh...well....great! Yeah, that's great," he grinned nervously. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two.

"Well...I'm gonna get to bed now. Night Po - James". Lily smiled, and ran back up to her dormitory. James felt a large grin spread across his face, and he couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Night...Lily".

~*~

The next morning, James practically floated down to the great hall, an unwavering grin on his face. Remus had on more than one occasion praised James for taking the mature road and apologising, whilst Sirius had defiantly told James he was an idiot, and that Lily didn't deserve to be apologised to. Peter, as usual, went with the majority, but mostly kept out of it.

Lily had called him James, Lily had smiled at him, Lily had accepted his apology! He didn't care that he shouldn't be so happy that one person, a girl, no less, was now sort of his friend, it was just brilliant. Sirius couldn't seem to understand why he was so happy, but as long as he _was_ happy, Black didn't seem to mind.

As they entered the hall, James spotted Lily and her friends chatting away. He grinned, waiting for her to turn and greet him happily...but it never came. She didn't even look up, or acknowledge that fact that they had just entered the hall. He was pretty sure Christina had seen them, surely she would have told Lily?

Sirius noticed this, and clapped James on the shoulder, turning his attention to Lily too.

"Don't worry about it, mate. Just forget about her".

"Yes Potter, just forget about her, she wouldn't want to associate with the likes of you," sneered a slimy sounding voice. James whipped around, and saw Snape smiling smugly. He glanced at Lily, who was too busy reading the Daily Prophet to realise what was going on.

"Shove off _Snivellus_, before I do something I'll regret," hissed James, his fists clenching. He really couldn't stand the snivelling little boy. Something about him just infuriated him to no ends.

Snape chuckled, and flicked his greasy, raven black hair from his eyes.

"She'll never be friends with you, Potter," he spat, "Why would she when she's got me, you filthy blood-traitor". He turned on his heel, and stalked off out of the hall.

James only half heard Remus's protests as he stormed from the hall. He only half registered Sirius's cheering, and Lily crying 'What's going on?!'

He spotted Snape near the bottom of the stairs, and whipped out his wand, thinking of the first spell he could think of.

"DENSAUGEO!"

James flicked his wand and screamed a spell he remembered reading about in one of his text books. Snape cried out, and felt a strange tingling in his mouth. He glanced down, and saw his slightly yellowing front teeth growing rapidly past his lower lip.

"POTTER!"

James whipped around, his face a picture of anger. He watched Lily run past him, and force Snape to show her the effects of the curse. Sirius, Remus, Peter, Holly, Bridget and Chris appeared from the hall too, the girls running over to Lily to see what was wrong.

"Sev, show me what's wrong," pleaded Lily. Snape lowered his hand, and showed a pair of rapidly growing teeth, that were now well past his chin.

Sirius and Peter roared with laughter at the sight, and even Remus's mouth twitched at the corners a little as he fought a smile. Holly clapped her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter, Chris turned away, and huge grin on her face, and Bridget was only just managing to keep a straight face.

Lily looked simply mutinous.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!" she screamed, rounding on James, "YOU AROGANT, INSUFERABLE...BULLY!"

James ignored her for the first time since he'd met her. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears, and could have sworn everything turned red for a moment.

Lily turned back to Snape, and helped him up the staircase towards the hospital wing. Holly. Bridget and Chris waited until they were out of earshot, before bursting into fits of laughter.

"Oh...oh that...was...brilliant!" gasped Chris between chuckles. Holly and Bridget nodded, wiping tears from their eyes. Sirius was positively howling, clutching the wall to keep himself upright. Peter was clapping his hands wildly, his eyes wide with admiration towards James. Even Remus allowed himself a small chuckle.

James started to feel his anger dissipate, and started chuckling.

"Serves him right, bloody idiot," he grinned.

Sirius stumbled towards James, wrapping his arm around his shoulders, "Mate, you are my new hero!"

~*~

Lily watched nervously as Madam Pomfrey began tending to Severus's 'injuries'. By the time they had gotten to the hospital wing his front teeth had grown almost to his waist. Madam Pomfrey managed to fix Severus almost instantly, and didn't ask too many questions as to how he received such a large pair of front teeth, sensing his embarrassment by the incident.

Lily was positively fuming. She had really thought Potter was sincere in his apology, but she was obviously wrong. Potter was so spoilt and up himself he didn't know how to be civil, unless it was towards one of his little minions. How Holly was related to such a horrible person was beyond her, and she truly felt sorry for her friend.

Severus remained in the hospital wing for several days, Madam Pomfrey insisting that he needed rest. Lily visited him every day, and knew he was only staying there because he was embarrassed by the whole situation. This only made Lily despise Potter more.

"How are you feeling Sev?" she asked the morning he was due to leave the hospital wing. Severus shrugged, his face seeming to hold a permanent scowl.

"I made sure Potter was punished for this, I reported him to Professor McGonagall and he's been given detention for a week," she continued almost proudly. Severus again ignored her, and Lily began to feel frustrated.

"Sev why are you ignoring _me?_ I'm not the one who hex's you or calls you names, I'm your friend!" she cried in frustration.

Severus sighed, "Why can't you be in Slytherin," he mumbled.

Lily bit her lip, and gently placed her hand atop his, "I'm sorry Sev, but I guess it means we're just a little different, we're still going to be friends though," she added with a smile.

Severus nodded and attempted a smile of his own.

"Now come on, you've missed enough school as it is," joked Lily, and the two friends left the hospital wings and made their way back down to the great hall.

~*~

Remus hurriedly packed his overnight back, glancing towards the door every so often. Today was the fourth of November, and according to the lunar calendar, he had an appointment in the Shrieking Shack to uphold. The Shrieking Shack was a large, rather dilapidated looking building just on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. The building had been built specifically so Remus would have somewhere safe to transform once the full moon appeared.

He jumped when he heard voices growing closer, and tried to act aloof as James, Sirius and Peter wandered into their dormitory.

"Hey Remus, we missed you down at dinner. Sirius managed to float an entire jug of pumpkin juice over to the Slytherin table and dumped it all over that Evan Rosier's head," James started, excitedly. He stopped, however, when he saw Remus holding a bag of clothes and various other possessions, then frowned, "Where are you going?"

Remus sighed, and once again readied himself to lie, trying to keep his face as impassive as possible.

"Mum isn't feeling very good, dad says she's taken a little turn for the worse, I'm going to see her for a few days," he lied.

The three boys glanced at each other worriedly.

"It's nothing serious, is it?" James asked in concern.

Remus chewed his lip, and decided he might as well make it seem so.

"A little, but I'm sure she'll get better. It's a strange illness".

The three boys nodded apologetically, and offered to help him pack the rest of his bag. Remus felt awful that he couldn't tell them his secret. They were the first real friends he'd ever had, but he wasn't going to risk losing them because of his problem, even though a nagging little voice in the back of his head told him he should just be honest with them.

"Thanks guys," called Remus, pretending to head off to Dumbledore's office. His three friends bade goodbye and returned to the common room after walking him out. Remus doubled back and quickly headed towards the hospital wing to begin what promised to be a long, painfully lonely night as a monster.

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_Like it? Loathe it? I'm a little worried about this chapter, actually, I don't think it's worked as well as I thought it would. Let me know, though :)_


	6. Christmas

_A/N: Chapter six :)_

_Thanks to everyone who read and reveiwed the last chapter, hope you like this next one :)_

_review responses:_

_**quirky-as-alice:** Got it in one (or three :D). Thanks for reading, hope you like the next chapter._

_**2Lazy2SignIN: **Thanks! I'm glad you've stumbled across this one and are enjoying it. Don't worry, I have no thought sof abandoning this, I'll be seeing it through till the end. Thanks for reading, and enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**evershort:** I'm glad you think it's a good idea :) I thought it would be nice to get a feel for our Gryffindor's before they got to Hogwarts :) Also, thanks for reassuring me on the chapter length, cause I'm exactly the same. Sometimes, I'll read a story, and the chapters are just so long it's a little overwhelming. I'm trying to keep them under ten pages, but sometimes I go a little over...my bad. Hope you like the other chapters, though, and this one too :)_

_**Fairywolf: **Thank you, I really wasn't sure if it flowed well, and I re-wrote it a few times, but it just seemed to go the same way, but I'm happy you thought it was alright. Hehe you noticed! I thought about it, and decided not to mention what he was until our brave Marauders found out too, so it'll be awhile until 'werewolf' is actually mentioned. Aww shucks, you're making me blush haha, it means so much that you said that, it's really brightened my day (the weathers been awful and that always makes me a little sad). Thanks for reading, I hope you stick with the story, and enjoy the next chapter :D_

_**appleeater123:** Thank you! Well, I go back to work on Thursday, so I'm not sure if there'll be an update on that particular day since I'll be trying to get back in the swing of things, but most likely daily updates will be fine. So apart from Thursday, it'll be a chapter a day (I may double update over the weekend to make up for Thursday :)). And your other review, yeah I really wasn't completely happy with that chapter, I just didn't feel like it flowed as well as the others, but hopefully the rest of the story isn't like that. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope you like this one too._

_**FishPonysRock:** Thanks, I'm glad you liked it :D Hope you enjoy this chapter too!_

_**BloodMoonRising:** Thank you, it means alot that no ones gotten bored yet :P, I'm really happy you continued to enjoy the story, and I hope the next chapters are just, if not more, enjoyable. _

_**splatteredpaint: **Your reviews are so detailed, I LOVE them! Yes, James and Sirius are both bright boys, they're just both idiots as well...they'll grow up someday, I hope. Yeah, Severus has lots of slimy qualities about him, it's a good job he ended up being a hero, or I would have seriously hated that man. And unfortunately, poor Lily find's out that hard way that he's not the nicest of fellows. I was thinking of writing this story just until their seventh year, when they leave. Then, if people are still interested, I'm planning on writing a sequel about their lives after Hogwarts, up until October 31st, 1981. So basically, that would focus on the Order of the Pheonix and the first war, and how it affected them. What do you think? And no problem about the quote, I nipped over to your profile page and saw it there, I couldn't stop grinning! Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!_

_**VampireWithGoldenEyes:** Thank you :) I'm so glad you said that, cause last time around, some readers though Lily was a little too mean. I took some stuff out (I seemed to be making her out to be awful, really), but I think Lily had one of those relationships with James where he just annoyed her constantly. I sort of imagine her disliking him right from the start, to sort of prove a point, if you know what I mean. She can be stubborn, our Lils :). Anyway, thanks for continuing to read, and I hope you enjoy this chapter :)_

_Disclaimer: I make no money from this, if I did, I wouldn't slave away in a pub night and day!_

_

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Six**_

**_Christmas_**

A blanket of fluffy white snow covered the grounds of Hogwarts as its students prepared to either return home for Christmas, or spend the holidays within the magnificent castle. The houselves had gone all out with the decorations. Twelve large Christmas trees stood proudly in the great hall, decorated with everything from everlasting snow to mini moving nativity scenes and fat little Santa Claus's. James, who was returning home for the holidays, reflected on his first months at Hogwarts.

Apart from getting detention almost weekly (which he hoped his mother wouldn't be too annoyed about, he'd taken to ignoring her letters after the first one he'd received about his behaviour in which his mother had threatened to come and sit in his every lesson until he learned to behave) and a certain red head seeming to hate his guts, it hadn't been half bad; in fact, it was far more enjoyable than he had imagined. He was excellent in all of his classes, he had three great friends, and though he seemed to get into trouble an awful lot, the teachers all seemed to like him well enough, even Professor McGonagall, who had been _very_ angry after finding out it was James and his friends who had stolen a niffler from the Care of Magical Creatures classroom and somehow managed to get it into the Slytherin common room. But really, the Slytherins were just as bad. Why, only last week Jonny and Simon had returned to the common room covered in angry looking red boils from a curse thrown at them by Lucius Malfoy. Suffice to say, James' cousin had been more than a little angry, and James thought Malfoy deserved every stinging hex hurled at him the next day.

All in all, things were working out fine for James. He had attended his first school Quidditch match, in which Gryffindor had played Slytherin. Though Gryffindor had lost rather dismally, he still enjoyed the experience, and was even more determined to try out next year after finding out half of the team were now in their final year of Hogwarts.

However, there was something that had been bothering him. His friend, Remus, had been disappearing near the start of every month, he had noticed. After confronting him about it, he confessed that his mother was indeed gravely ill, and that his father had requested he come to visit. James was surprised at how much it hurt to hear about Remus's mother, and had decided that after Christmas, he'd get the guys together and think of something to cheer Remus up, as he always seemed pale and weak when he returned.

~**~

The week before the students of Hogwarts were to go back home for Christmas, James and Sirius in particular found it rather hard to concentrate. The holiday spirit was definitely in the air, and decorations were already being put up by Hagrid and the house-elves of Hogwarts. Just that morning, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had offered to help Hagrid with a rather large Christmas tree they'd found him dragging towards the Great Hall.

"I sort of wish I could stay here, actually," James was saying, watching the paper aeroplane the boys had charmed to fly around the common room.

"You're telling me," Sirius scrunched up a ball of parchment and tossed it at the small paper plane zipping past his head, "Mum's gonna be all smiles and rainbows when I get back".

"Has she sent anymore letters?" Remus asked quietly, and with concern. Sirius nodded, and pulled out the latest letter from Mrs Black. He'd received three to date, all complaining about the fact he was now a Gryffindor, instead of a Slytherin.

Sirius made quite a show of unfolding the letter, eliciting chuckles from his friends, and cleared his throat dramatically.

'_Sirius,_

_Have you been to Professor Dumbledore yet? The man sent back quite a rude reply to my letters, stating that only you could decided whether to be moved or not. I have, of course, and your father to, offered to come to the school and have you re-sit a sorting, just to make sure. I have a feeling something has gone terribly wrong with that hat, are you sure no one tampered with it before you used it? Who was before you? A Muggle-born? That could be the problem. Your father is terribly angry, and I must say, I am beginning to lose patience. I will not have a son of mine breaking the noble traditions of our family. You are a Black, a Slytherin at heart. _

_Son, I am worried by the nature of the letters you are sending home to me. It seems to me you actually enjoy being a Gryffindor, which I cannot imagine being very enjoyable at all. You are to follow in the footsteps of your fore-fathers, Sirius, I urge you to see the Headmaster at once! I will not have this tainting our good name. Do you know what they are saying Sirius? The Malfoy's consider you a blood traitor! The Lestrange's are questioning your upbringing, and I must say, where did I go wrong? I have always known you were a stubborn child at times, but I had hoped Slytherin would bring out the true qualities given to you through our prestigious family._

_If this is not sorted soon enough, I'm afraid your father and I will be forced to come to the school for a meeting with the Headmaster. I have left it to you up until now, but it seems Gryffindor has only heightened your incompetence. Do you see what you will become, Sirius, if you are to mix with such people as Gryffindor allows into his house? Lazy, ignorant – those are the qualities you will bring out in yourself._

_For the sake of this family, Sirius, go to Professor Dumbledore. I have had quite enough of this nonsense, and it is time action was taken!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Walburga Black'_

"She sign's her name?" James gaped at the letter Sirius had read it (in a rather humorous, high pitched imitation of his mother's voice), "What's her problem".

Sirius snatched the letter back from James, and tossed it into the fire, "You heard her, _'I will not have this tainting our good name'_. All she bloody cares about his looking good in front of her mates," there was a strange glint in Sirius' eyes. And a flash of what looked like pain that James immediately didn't like. For all Sirius said it didn't bother him, the letters and the disappointment his mother had expressed, James knew it did. Deep down, Sirius Black was hurt all because the Sorting Hat had placed him in a house different to that of his family.

"I'm not even gonna bother replying," Sirius' voice snapped James from his thoughts, "If she wants to come up to the school and make a fool out of herself, then let her...bloody wench!"

James, Remus and Peter all snorted, and thankfully, Sirius was grinning. Though said grin didn't quite reach his eyes.

~**~

_**Christmas at the Potters**_

The sun rose brightly on the morning of the 25th, a light snow was falling outside, making the small village of Godric's Hollow look like something out of a Christmas card one would receive from a grandparent.

James awoke early, as always, grinning as he bounded down his stairs towards the living room.

"Happy Christmas sweetie," grinned Gwen Potter, hugging James.

"Happy Christmas mum," said James, turning his attention to the generous pile of gifts located at the base of their large ornately decorated tree.

"Well go on, get opening, I'm making pancakes," she called as James raced towards the tree and began ripping open his vast mound of presents.

"Good haul this year?" asked Harold Potter, coming to sit in the living room. James nodded, his mouth full of chocolate frogs he'd received from Sirius. Along with the Bertie Botts every flavour beans from Remus, and the Chocoballs from Peter, James had received his own copy of Quidditch through the ages from Holly and Jonny, a new Quaffle to practice with from his Aunt and Uncle (chaser was James' favourite position, though seeker was a fun position too) and to his surprise and everlasting thanks, the new Nimbus 1001 from his parents. He couldn't wait to show it off when he got back to school.

The last present he got too, was from his father. He ripped open the crimson wrapping paper, and frowned, as something silvery fell out of the packaging and pooled like water onto the floor.

"Dad? What's this?" asked James, holding up what appeared to be a cloak. It was light, and soft, almost like air. Harold grinned, and took the cloak from James, wrapping it around himself. James gasped as his father disappeared.

"Holy....is that an invisibility cloak!" breathed James. His father reappeared, nodding.

"It's been in the family for generations, passed down to every first born in the Potter family," explained Harold, handing it to James, "Of course I shared it with your Aunt Claire, but as tradition states, it's passed down to you, but I'm sure you'll lend it to Jonny and Holly occasionally".

James nodded dumbly, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"This is....brilliant! I've gotta tell the guys," he raced from the living room and back to his bedroom, where Merlin had just returned from a night of hunting.

At dinner, James and his family arrived at his grandparent's house in Tinworth for Christmas dinner. James immediately retreated to the back garden to find Jonny and Holly, who were currently having a snowball fight with a blonde haired girl James didn't recognise.

"James!" called Holly, rushing over to her cousin, "Thanks for the broomstick servicing kit! It was brilliant!" she stepped back from hugging him, and dragged him over to her brother and the blonde girl.

"James, this is Olivia Berry, Jonny's girlfriend Olivia Berry, this is James," introduced Holly. Her face was flushed from the cold and her eyes were alight with excitement. She was always like an overactive two year old at Christmas.

"She's always like this at Christmas," chuckled Jonny, pulling Liv closer for a kiss, "Oh and James, thanks for the servicing kit, I'm hoping it'll help our chances after that awful performance last month," he added bitterly. Jonny played keeper on the team, and was probably the only decent player on the Gryffindor team at the moment.

"Just wait until next year when me and Holly try out," grinned James.

"Kids! Dinner!" called Holly's mother. James and Holly raced into the large stone house, followed by Jonny and Liv at a more leisurely pace.

Dinner was enjoyable, as always. The Potter household was always full of love and laughter, a truly wonderful place to be at Christmas.

"So kids, how was your first term?" asked a silver haired, hazel eyed woman, James's grand-mother Elizabeth Potter. James looked up from the joke he was telling Holly, and grinned.

"Brilliant grandma! Honestly, Hogwarts is amazing! Even the lessons, I thought I'd hate all the work we had to do, but turns out I'm a pretty good wizard!"

Holly chuckled, "He and his mate Sirius get top marks without even trying, it's sickening!"

"I must say it is a little strange hearing about a decent Black," remarked the equally grey haired George Potter, James's grandfather. George, on the other hand, had the dark brown eyes Holly had inherited.

"They're not all bad, dad," reasoned Ivy, "I met young Andromeda, Druella's daughter at a function at the Ministry last summer, wonderful young woman".

"Yeah, Sirius says there are a few decent ones, but most of them are 'crazy old purists', as he says," chuckled James.

"Well I'm just glad you've made some good friends," smiled his father, "I knew you would".

"What about you Holly dear, you haven't told me about your friends?" asked her grandmother. James perked up slightly, but scowled at Holly's smug grin.

"Well, there's Chris, who's just absolutely mental! Seriously, I've never met such an excitable girl! She's brilliant though. Then there's Bridget. She's quite quiet, but such a sweetie, she always knows the right thing to say, you know. And then there's Lily," she glanced at James, and stifled the urge to laugh.

"Do you know Lily?" asked Ian, Holly's father to James.

"Oh he knows her," teased Holly, "He luuurrrvvveeesss her".

"Do not!" protested James, blushing furiously. He didn't at all. He didn't even like her. She was horrible to him, so why on Earth would he _love_ her. As if.

"But she hates him 'cause he keeps hexing her mate Snape," continued Holly, "Mind you, I dont like Snape either, half the time he deserves it".

"Son, you shouldn't be hexing people, you'll get into trouble," said James's mum sternly.

"And the other half?" asked James's dad.

"The other half of the time that idiot Black is hexing him. Now _he_ just does it for fun, you say he's decent but he's just an arrogant little berk," replied Holly simply. The adults in the room exchanged amused glances, and returned to their meal, striking up random conversations.

After dinner, the entire family retreated to the back garden for another snowball fight, building snowmen and general fun in the snow. Christmas at the Potters was a wonderful place to be, in this family, family was _everything_, they were probably the closest family in England, which was what made the Potters so special indeed.

"Holly, Vespa has a note," called Mrs Knight. Holly bounded into the room, and removed the note from her owl. She unfolded it, and sighed.

_Hi Holly,_

_How's Christmas going? Did you get my present? I know how much you love Quidditch, and I thought you'd like to read up on your favourite teams!_

_Thank you for the book, I know how expensive it is, you really shouldn't have. But I love it! Anyway, I'm having an alright day, except Petunia's being horrible once again; I really don't know what to do about her anymore._

_Well, I was just feeling a bit lonely, and thought I'd owl you since Vespa seems to have taken up permanent residence at my house (I think she likes annoying Petunia)._

_Lots of Love, Lily._

"Poor Lily," mumbled Holly, scribbling back a reply. She really felt for her, she knew how close Lily and Petunia used to be. The girls had stayed up one night a few weeks ago, when Chris and Bridget had fallen asleep. Lily had confessed everything about her and Petunia, from how they were best friends, to when Snape had told her she was a witch. Holly couldn't fathom how horrible it would be if Jonny ever hated her, though she'd never admit that.

~**~

_**Christmas at the Evans's**_

"Merry Christmas girls!"

Lily and Petunia both bore identical grins as they stepped into their large living room, and spied the mountain of gifts circling the base of the Christmas tree. However, things were different this year. Normally, Lily and Petunia would play all sorts of games, like racing to see who could finish opening all of their presents first. But this year, Petunia had barely spoken to Lily since she'd returned home, and though Lily acted like this didn't bother her, on the inside she was hurting deeply. However, she refused to let this ruin Christmas, and spent the entire morning opening the variety of Muggle gifts from her family, and wizarding gifts from her friends. From Holly, Bridget and Chris, the two had saved up their money and bought her a copy of Hogwarts: A History, a book Lily had wanted since her first visit to Diagon Alley, and a generous box of chocolate frogs, which had become her favourite wizarding sweet. Her last wizarding present, was a small pendant, that glowed a different colour according to your mood. It was very similar to the silly little mood rings Muggles bought, however this pendant actually worked. She smiled as she read the card attached to it.

_To Lily,_

_Happy Christmas, at least with this I'll know when Potter is bothering you!_

_Love, Sev._

Lily gently placed the pendant around her neck, and smiled again. Severus wasn't a bad person; she couldn't understand why he was picked on so much. She made a mental note to have a serious talk with Potter about it when she returned to school.

"Oh honey that necklace is beautiful," breathed Mrs Evans, reaching over to examine Lily's pendant.

"It's a mood stone," she explained, "Like the Muggle ones, except this one is magic, and really works".

Petunia snorted into her Christmas pudding, earning a glare from Lily.

"Well it's beautiful, who gave you it?" asked Mrs Evans.

"Severus, the boy who lives at Spinner's End," grinned Lily proudly.

"Is that the weedy little boy we met in the park," asked Petunia abruptly, "He was weird!"

"He is _not_ weird!" protested Lily, "He's a wonderful person, and one of my best friends!"

"Yes, well he's one of your lot, so he's weird," Petunia said simply.

"Petunia, that's enough," scolded Lily's father, "Lily is perfectly normal, and so is this Severus boy".

Petunia glared at Lily, and returned to her pudding. The family ate in silence for the rest of the meal, before Lily retreated to her bedroom, and burst into tears. She missed her big sister so much, they were always so close. And now? Now Petunia hated her, just because she was different.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Lily spotted Holly's owl Vespa, who was still snoozing after delivering presents. She rummaged around in her draws for some parchment and a quill, and scribbled a quick note.

"Go on Vespa, I need a friend right now," she whispered miserably. Vespa hooted soothingly, as if knowing how down Lily was, and nipped her finer affectionately, before spreading her large black wings, and taking flight.

Several hours later, after a small Christmas tea, Lily spotted Vespa tapping her beak patiently on the living room window. Petunia raced from the room muttering something about 'bloody owls', and Lily quickly let the large bird in, and unfurled the note.

_Hey Lils!_

_I'm sorry about Petunia; I know how awful you must be feeling right now. Don't worry; she'll come around, just give it time. Oh and thank you soooo much for the book Lils, it was brilliant! I've wanted it for ages but mum said I had to save up for it myself! She's so mean. Anyway, our Christmas has been good, same old same old really, I'm in Tinworth at the moment, at my grandparents house, and you'll never guess who's with me....James!_

_Yup, your dear little Potter...HA! But you know, he's been as nice as always, he even got me a broomstick servicing kit for Christmas, can you believe it! Anyway, I managed to embarrass him at dinner by telling the family how much he loves you; you should have seen him blush! It was brilliant. I actually think he might have a thing for you. Anyway, I hope that cheers you up, since I know how much you loathe my dear cousin. _

_Don't worry; we'll be at Hogwarts before you know it! Chin up, and I'll see you soon._

_Lots of love and endless hugs, Holly._

Lily beamed at the note. She knew Holly would know how to cheer her up, all of her friends did, but Holly just seemed to have a natural talent for it.

"Only a few more days," she muttered to herself. She absently stroked Vespa, who seemed to be sticking around an awful lot lately. Perhaps she knew Lily was lonely and thought she'd need a bit of company. Lily glanced at the large black owl, and grinned.

~**~

_**Christmas at the Blacks**_

Sirius tumbled out of bed groggily, muttering curses to whoever was jumping up and down on his bed. He knew who it was, he did this every year, it was almost a tradition.

"Regulus shove off, it's too early," he groaned.

Sirius's younger brother Regulus was a sweet little boy. He was a year younger than Sirius, and looked just like a mini version of his older sibling, except his eyes were a stormy blue, instead of grey.

"Come on Sirius, its Christmas!" cried Regulus excitedly. He jumped down from the bed, taking the blankets with him.

"Regulus!"

The younger Black giggled, and raced from the room, soon followed by a weary Sirius.

The drawing room was, as always, used to hold the many presents the Black children received from the many members of their family. The Black's were a rich family, a notable wizarding lineage who were once well respected throughout the wizarding world.

Sirius noticed the change as soon as he entered the room. Regulus, who in Sirius's opinion has always been the favourite son, had a pile of presents so high they almost ran the length of one wall. Sirius, on the other hand, had a pitifully small pile; compared to the amount of gifts he'd received last year. And he was pretty sure why this was.

As if to personally attack him, every single Christmas decoration put up by Kreacher the house elf was silver and green. The colours of the Slytherin house.

His parents were already doting upon Regulus, urging him to open his gifts and pointing out which ones were from whom. Sirius turned to his small pile, his heart sinking. His parents had never been this cruel before.

He sifted through the pile of presents lazily, not really interested at all in Christmas anymore. He had received a brand new beater's bat from his favourite cousin Andromeda, one of the only family members who didn't seem to think Voldemort had the 'right idea'. He spotted several boxes of various sweets from James, Remus and Peter, which brought a large grin to his face. The only present he received from his parents was a scarf and hat set, a Slytherin scarf and hat set. Snorting in disgust, he tossed the garments aside and turned to his last present. He knew what it was before he even opened it, but still didn't quite believe his eyes. Ripping off the wrapping paper, a shiny new Nimbus 1001 rolled out onto the blood red carpet. Sirius's eyes widened at the sight, he knew who had sent him this. His Great Uncle Alphard was not a favourite within the Blacks, he, like Sirius, was an avid detractor of Voldemort, thus making him quite unpopular indeed. Sirius quickly exited the drawing room with his present stuffed in his arms before his parents could see what he had received and more than likely confiscate it. They weren't the biggest fans of Uncle Alphard either.

It bothered him that his parents were still sore about him being sorted into Gryffindor; it wasn't as if he had a choice in it. He had hoped they would just forget about it, even put it down to a mistake on the sorting hats behalf, but they genuinely seemed angry with _him_. They seemed to think it was all his fault.

"As if I care," he mumbled, wiping a stubborn tear from his face, "I'm better off in Gryffindor anyway".

~**~

_**Christmas at the Lupin's**_

Remus smiled weakly at his parents as he unwrapped the neatly stacked presents in his living room. The full moon was on the 31st, so he was feeling a little peaky, but was determined not to let it ruin his day.

"Remus, there's presents here from your friends at school," Mrs Lupin handed him three individually wrapped gifts, a broad smile across her face. To be perfectly honest, she had been extremely worried that Remus would let his condition and natural shy persona affect his ability to make friends. She knew how hard it had been for Remus growing up, and that he'd never had any real friends before. The fact that he'd received presents from these boys was like a beacon of hope for Mrs Lupin, hope that he one day her son would be able to lead a normal life.

Remus smiled to himself as he unwrapped the various boxes of sweets James, Sirius and Peter had sent him. It wasn't much, but just to receive a gift from them at all was enough to brighten his day. However the guilty voice in the back of his head was slowly growing stronger. He hated lying to them every month, hated having to pretend his own mother was sick because he was, simply put, a dangerous monster. No matter how much his parents reassured him he wasn't a monster; he knew perfectly well what he was. They didn't see him transform, didn't see the way he'd tear a chair or table apart, or attack himself because he had no prey. They didn't hear the bloodcurdling howls from within the chamber they locked him in every month he was at home. He was a monster, and telling James and the others would only make things worse for them all. He didn't want to be alone. He didn't want them to hate him.

Christmas at the Lupin's was usually very quiet. The small family would have a quaint dinner prepared by Mrs Lupin, after which Mr Lupin would return to work at St Mungo's (Christmas was a busy holiday for them) whilst Remus and his mother would take down the decorations. However this Christmas, Remus would be forced to help his mother ready the basement for his transformation, helping move various bits of furniture that were beyond even magical repair and replacing them with new furniture for Remus to attack during his night as a werewolf.

Even though today would be overshadowed by the impending transformation, Remus enjoyed this Christmas just as much as the last, perhaps even more so after receiving the gifts from his new friends.

~**~

_**Christmas with the Coddlesworth's**_

"Christina! Come on, up!"

Mrs Coddlesworth cried out as her eldest daughter jumped into view, fully dressed and intent on opening her presents.

"Sweetie why did you get dressed?" she asked amusedly as Chris raced into the living room and practically dived into her pile of presents.

"I woke up early and was too excited to go back to sleep," she grinned, passing her younger brother Carl one of his own presents. The small, blonde haired boy toddled over to his twin who began helping him unwrap.

"Oh mum this is brilliant!" Chris held up the hand knitted jumper her mother had made her. It was a pale, periwinkle blue colour, and made of the softest wool Chris had ever felt. Chris's family weren't exactly well off, however their parents always managed to provide for their children at Christmas.

"Now don't forget, your Aunt Judith and Uncle Peter are coming over with the girls at about ten, Aunt Lisa and Uncle John at around eleven with the triplets, and grandma and grandpa will be here just before dinner," said Mrs Coddlesworth absently, "So I'll need you to make sure the table is all set and everything is at least acceptably tidy".

Chris groaned, her family was huge, it was a wonder they all fit into her house. She always had to pitch in on Christmas day, whereas most children would be left to enjoy their presents. She didn't mind though, her years of helping her mother prepare Christmas dinner had made her a talented cook, and how many eleven year olds could say that!

"Are we going to grandmas for my birthday?" asked Chris. She would be turning twelve on New Year's Day, and normally her family had a little birthday party for her at her grandparent's house.

"Yes, although Aunt Judith and the kids won't be able to make it, they're going on holiday to Scotland for a week".

Chris nodded, her eyes glued to the presents she was still unwrapping. Christmas was always pretty crazy at the Coddlesworth's household, and Chris wouldn't have it any other way.

~**~

_**Christmas at the Pettigrew's**_

A lone Christmas tree stood as the only decoration in the Pettigrew household. Peter's father didn't really like celebrations, and only allowed the rather pathetic looking tree to be put up to appease his wife. Peter carefully unwrapped his small pile of gifts whilst his mother watched him intently. His father was out somewhere with his friends from work, he didn't normally stay in on Christmas.

"Thanks mum, this is great," grinned Peter, setting aside the copy of _The Wonder of the Wigtown Wanderers_ his mother had given him. Peter was a big fan of Quidditch, though he wasn't very good at playing.

"I thought you'd like it," smiled Mrs Pettigrew, "I know they're your favourite team".

Peter nodded affirmatively, and proceeded to unwrap his other presents, which included various sweets from the boys (they had agreed on this a while ago, but Peter had noticed that Remus seemed a bit sceptical as to whether they would actually send him anything) and a Wigtown Wanderers scarf from his grandmother.

Dinner was quiet, just the two of them, which in all honesty, Peter preferred. He loved his mother dearly, and hated how timid she was around his father. It wasn't that his father was aggressive, he was just controlling, and saw himself as the head of the household. He had always put Peter down, and even commented on how truly surprised he was Peter wasn't in Hufflepuff. This was probably what caused Peter to be so nervous and quiet all of the time, however his time spent with James, Sirius and Remus had slowly coaxed him out of his shell a little, something Mrs Pettigrew had noticed.

"So dear, tell me more about your friends," she said as they retreated to the living room after dinner.

Peter's face lit up at the mention of his friends, he loved telling his mother about them, "Well, I've told you mostly everything about them, they're great. I can't believe they'd wanna hang around with someone like me".

Mrs Pettigrew frowned, and placed her hand on Peter's shoulder, "You're a wonderful person Peter, and you shouldn't let what people say to you make you believe that is really you. You're friends are lucky to have such a sweet, loyal friend".

Peter positively beamed at his mother praise. All in all, this Christmas had to have been the best so for, and it was all thanks to three certain eleven year olds who had taken Peter under their wing.

~**~

_**Christmas at the Moore's**_

"Bridget, happy Christmas dear".

Bridget rubbed her eyes, and grinned as she spotted the mountain of presents beneath a large Christmas tree.

"Happy Christmas mum, dad," she hugged her parents, then practically dove into the pile. Mrs Moore grinned, and returned to the kitchen where a fat turkey was roasting. Bridget spotted a gift from Lily, Holly and Chris. She quickly unwrapped it, and grinned.

"Those three are amazing," she laughed, holding up the Celestina Warbeck t-shirt she'd mentioned wanting a few weeks ago.

"Oh that's pretty Bridget," commented Mrs Moore as she re-entered the living room, "Is that from your friends?"

Bridget nodded, "Yup, from my best friends!"

"And you were worried you wouldn't make friends," Mr Moore chuckled, ruffling his daughters hair fondly. Bridget squirmed, and giggled.

"Dad, I'm not five anymore, you need to stop doing that".

Mr Moore laughed, and shook his head, "I'll be doing it even on your wedding day dearest, now get back to those presents, your grandparents sent quite a few over this year".

Bridget grinned and turned back to her gifts. Oh, how she loved Christmas.

* * *

_Love it, hate it? I like the chapters that detail a different characters life, they're fun :D_


	7. Mudbloods and Exploring

_A/N: And here's chapter seven! Thank you agin to everyone who has read and reviewed the story so far. Thirty reviews! I'm over the moon :D_

_Review responses:_

_**000kayko000: **Thanks for reading. Well, the first year had eight chapters, so one more after this and it's onto second year. No, I didn't think that, I can understand that if I made it too long, readers might get bored of it, I know I'm dying to get to some romance, and they're a little young for that at the moment :). Hope you like the next chapter :)_

_**evershort: **Glad you're still liking this! I always worry people might get bored of it, lol...I think I worry too much sometimes. Haha, it must be fate, or mega good timing! I'm really glad this is one of your favourite favourites (I understood lol), it means so much you like it, I put alot of effort into making sure each chapter is just as enjoyable as the next. Thanks for reading, I hope your just as pleased with this chapter too!_

_**BloodMoonRising:** Thank you :) Oh, I love Remus too. I'm having so much fun writing about his struggle with the lycanthropy, and I can't wait to get to where the Marauders discover it! Thanks for reading and reviewing, as always, and I hope you like the next chapter :)_

_**splatteredpaint:** Thank you! Writing their different perspectives is so much fun! It gives me a chance to focus on them all seperately, rather than as a collective group. James and Lily are main characters, but I want to tell everyone elses story in as much detail as possible too, you know. Sorry if that chapter was too short, I made sure this one was longer :D. I know, poor Remus. But like I said, they'll be finding out soon, I hope you find my interpretation of them discovering good! And poor Sirius too, don't worry, the Potter will rescue him, though not just yet, I'm afraid :(. Yeah, I can imagine Sev saving all that he could to get lily something, the guy's in love after all. And finally, it will be a while before the second installment, but often after I've written a chapter for this story, I find myself writing notes on the next one, and things I can link in, I think I have six pages of notes already on the Marauders Tale, part 2 :D And yeah, it'll take awhile to get to seventh year, but I promise it'll be worth the wait! I already have the last chapter of seventh year written, actually, I'm hoping you'll all like it! But, until then, we'll sit back and watch our heroes grow up! Thanks for reading and reviewing, as always, and I really hope you enjoy this next chapter too._

_**Vampfromthemountain:** Oh my, 26 hours! I couldn't handle that, I'm glad I could help :D Thanks for reading and reviewing, hope this next chapter is enjoyable too (and if you're trying for some record, assists you in your quest to stay awake for an abominable amount of hours :D)_

_**quirky-as-alice:** Don't worry, Sirius is my favourite, and I hate to see him suffer too much (the poor guy had enough of it as an adult). Hope you like the next chapter, and thank you for sticking with the story :D_

_**fairydustandcansofspam: **Haha I love your name. Thanks for pointing that out, I made sure to go through and check, I'm always on the lookout for ways to better my writing, so thank you :) Sirius is pretty hypocritical even in the later years. Remember what he said in OOTP, about judging a man on how he treats his equals, and then he goes and treats Kreacher horribly! I think that's just in Sirius' nature, tbh. Haha, you know what, I actually did that for my current boyfriend (I'm praying he doesn't read this), I made a list because I wasn't sure, and wrote down pro' and con's (like Ross did on friends). I came up with 'his hair is too messy' and 'he likes marmite'...that was it! I can be a right dolt sometimes :D. I'm glad you like how I've written Lily, she's a harder character to decipher in my opinion. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and helping me with my writing :D. Enjoy the next chapter!_

_**Fairywolf:** Thank you XD. Oh it's fine, just getting reviews, even readers is more than I imagined, I'm truly grateful for it, so thank you! I hope this chapter was worth the wait :D please enjoy, and thanks for reading and reviewing!_

_Disclaimer: Not mine...not at all...OC's are...but that's about it...unfortunately. I may take a train ride though, maybe I'll come up with something of my own!_

* * *

**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Seven**_

**_Mudbloods and Exploring_**

James was grinning like a madman when he entered Hogwarts castle after Christmas. Sure, he loved visiting his family more than anything, but there was something about Hogwarts that just made him smile unrestrainedly. He was glad to be getting back to his friends; no doubt they'd have a few little pranks to play on their fellow students within even the first week.

After the incident in the Forbidden Forest, James and Sirius especially had developed a certain affinity for rule breaking. It was exhilarating, to be perfectly honest, and James found it made his school life even more enjoyable than it already was.

He had several things to do this year, one of them, was figure out a way to cheer Remus up. He hated seeing his friend so frail and weak looking after the visits to his mother, and desperately wanted to do something to help. He'd even asked his mother, who was on good terms with the Healers and St. Mungo's to have a word with them and see if they would perhaps go to Remus's home to have a look at Mrs Lupin (Remus had told them that because his father was a Healer, he didn't feel the need to go to St. Mungo's), however, a little extra help couldn't hurt, could it?

Another thing, was Snape. Ever since the little incident between him and James, which resulted in Lily ignoring him ever since, James was determined to get his revenge. He hated Snape with every fibre in his being. Snape was making him out to be a bully and a liar, but he was neither, and he wanted to make Snape pay for ruining things between him and Lily.

~**~

The four troublemakers of the school (as they were quickly becoming known as) greeted each other a little over excitedly as James entered the common room. Sirius, of course, was as hyper and joyful as ever, though he seemed a little strained, for some reason. Remus, although looking slightly paler than usual, seemed genuinely happy to be back too. Even Peter, who was normally the quieter of the four greeted James loudly, resulting in many giggles from what had been dubbed the Potter/Black fan club, and many disapproving glares from a certain red headed girl. Thankfully, she didn't shout or grumble, like she normally would have.

"Back to school eh Potter, I never thought I'd be so excited to get back to _school_, of all places," joked Sirius, as the four friends returned to their favourite armchairs in front of the fire.

"So how was your holidays?" asked James.

Sirius shrugged, "Just as pleasant as usual, my mum had a go at me for not demanding to be in Slytherin, my dad banged on about how great Voldemort is," Sirius glared as Peter and Remus both shuddered, "It's just a name, saying it isn't gonna hurt you."

"What about you Remus, how's your mum?" asked James, a concerned look upon his face.

Remus gave a small smile, and sighed, "She's fine, she had a bit of a bad turn just after Christmas, but she's getting better."

James nodded, "Actually, I know you said your dad didn't need to take her to St. Mungo's, but my mum's good friends with a lot of the Healers there, so I asked her if she'd have a word and have someone go out and see you mum, see if there's anything they can do."

James frowned at the obviously terrified look that appeared on Remus' face as he told his friend what he had done. He hadn't expected that at all.

"Remus...are you alright, you look like Nearly Headless Nick just walked right through you," said Sirius jokingly. Remus sprang to his feet.

"You shouldn't have done that!" he cried, staring at James, "I have to go."

And without another word, Remus dashed towards the portrait hole, and disappeared, leaving the three boys stunned to silence.

"What the bloody hell was all that about?" asked Sirius, dumbfounded.

"Maybe his mum's really contagious?" suggested Peter.

James shrugged, and was slightly hurt at Remus's reaction to what he thought was a thoughtful gesture.

The three boys pondered reasons why Remus reacted like that late into the night, and when he didn't return, began to grow worried.

"Maybe something happened with his mum," suggested Sirius, as the three boys sat on James's bed, still fully clothed and tired eyed.

"I don't understand, I was only trying to help," sighed James. The three boys jumped as Remus entered the room, his face the picture of worry.

"Remus!" James jumped to his feet and ran to his friend, "Listen mate, I'm sorry for getting involved, I just –"

He stopped when Remus waved his hand, smiling a little.

"Don't worry about it, I know you only wanted to help...it's just...complicated, that's all."

James nodded, and smiled kindly at his friend, "And don't stay out this late again, we were getting worried, I had half a mind to get my invisibility cloak out and roam the castle looking for you".

Remus snorted, and began pulling out his pyjamas. Sirius however, had that mischievous twinkle he usually got in his eye before pulling a little practical joke on somebody. The last time James had seen that look in his eye, Evan Rosier had ended up with the word 'Slythery' shaved into his hair, a useful little spell Remus had stumbled upon when reading a book on pranks Sirius had been sent by his cousin as an extra Christmas present.

"What?" asked Peter boldly.

"Well...a night time wander doesn't sound too bad, and we haven't had a chance to put James's cloak to good use yet," he grinned.

"No, no you're not going out now, it's almost midnight!" protested Remus, crossing his arms. He glanced at James, who mirrored Sirius's expression.

"Ah come on Remus, it'll be fun, it's the perfect thing to cheer you up mate!"

Remus bit his lip, looking from one friend to the next. James and Sirius seemed set in their ways, and Peter would undoubtedly just follow along with their plan. He seemed to hero worship those two; thank Merlin Remus had a sensible head on his shoulders.

"Well...alright, but only for a bit," he sighed, stuffing his pyjamas back into his trunk. Sirius gave a small cheer, and high fived James.

"Come on then gentlemen, we've got some exploring to do!"

~**~

"Ouch, Peter!"

"Sorry," mumbled Peter, flashing an apologetic look at Sirius. The four boys, though fitting perfectly under the large cloak, were not accustomed to moving so close together, and had trodden on each other's feet more than once in the past hour of exploring.

"This place is pretty creepy at night," whispered James as they headed down one of the many corridors on the fourth floor.

"Why don't we check out the restricted section in the library," suggested Remus.

Sirius snorted, "I'm not wasting what little time we have out here in a _library_, no matter how cool those books might be."

James and Peter chuckled, and even Remus smiled a little. It was common knowledge already that books and Sirius Black were not synonymous.

The four friends walked straight past the school library, keeping a keen eye out for Filch the caretaker, who seemed to have made it his goal in life to get at least one student from Hogwarts expelled. The strange, hunch backed man had taken an instant disliking to James and Sirius in particular after the pair had been caught putting the niffler in the Slytherin common room, and on more than one occasion, had jumped out on an unsuspecting James as if to try and catch in the middle of some wrong doing.

"Peter, can you even walk in a straight line!" hissed Sirius, his foot having been trodden on for the fifth time that night.

"I'm sorry," squeaked Peter, "It's hard when you're walking so – AAHHH!"

Peter stumbled, probably over his own feet, and went crashing towards the large mirror on the fourth floor. James squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the sound of breaking glass and the footsteps of a teacher to come and reprimand them...but it never came.

Opening one eye, James snorted in disbelief. Peter seemed to have fallen into a secret passage behind the mirror, somehow having managed to open the mirror/door as he fell.

"Bloody hell Peter, you're an absolute genius!" cried Sirius, diving from under the cloak and joining Peter in the passage. James and Remus soon joined him, and the four boys carefully closed the mirror behind them.

"_Lumos,"_ muttered James. The others followed suit, and four narrow beams of light lit up a large, rocky passage.

"Come on then," whispered James, starting forward. The four boys slowly made their way down the passage, which turned out to be rather long and winding, Remus didn't protest at all!

After about half an hour's walk, the boys spotted a small light at the end of the passage. James quickened his pace, and soon found himself outside in a small clearing. He watched his friends clamber out of a small fissure in the large rocky outcrop behind him in awe.

"Can you believe this!" he hissed excitedly, "We're just outside Hogsmeade!"

"You're kidding!" cried Sirius, bounding around like an excited puppy.

"Guys I think we'd better get back," started Remus, noting the time, though even he had a gleam of awe in his eyes.

James and Sirius groaned simultaneously, and even Peter seemed downhearted.

"Come on Lupin, let's have a look around," grinned James.

"It's almost two, we have classes in the morning, come on, I'm putting my foot down on this one," Remus said sternly. James and Sirius bowed their heads in defeat, "Yes mother," they mumbled with small smirks. Remus rolled his eyes, and ushered his friends back into the fissure, secretly elated at their find.

~**~

The next morning, though thoroughly exhausted and eager to get back to their exploring ways, the four explorers managed to pass the day relatively uneventfully. Even James and Sirius, who were often found to be pulling small pranks on their fellow classmates had a day off, much to the surprise of Lily, who was just waiting for a chance to blow up at James. Since the incident with Severus, Lily had come to learn James Potter was a just a bully. And if there was one thing Lily hated most in this world, it was bullies, who picked on people for no reason. She had enough of that from her sister at home, and didn't need James ruddy Potter terrorising her friends. Whilst she thought maybe he was doing it because of his idiotic best mate Black, after the whole teeth-growing spell, which in her opinion was completely unprovoked, she knew he was just an arrogant, self centred little boy with no real thoughts on the feelings of others. Although her friends didn't seem to share her feelings, she knew Holly wasn't too fond of Black either, but she always defended her cousin, for obvious reasons. Chris and Bridget, however, loved the pair, and found them extremely funny. They all had their different opinions, and that was what made them close, they weren't robots following each other around and acting like each other, not like, for example, the second years Jenni Marlborough and Georgia King, who funnily enough had declared themselves co-founders of the Potter/Black fan club (for those who found James and Sirius' mischievous ways funny and charming) and seemed to hang around the boys far more than necessary.

Now that classes had begun again, the first years had a taste of what was to come in their fifth and seventh years. To proceed to their second year; students at Hogwarts had to pass all of their exams in the subjects they were currently taking. They had already had lectures from Professor Slughorn and Professor Flitwick, who had given them a generous amount of homework to boot.

"I don't understand all of this," Sirius indicated to the pile of books he had as he and the boys began their essays, "I already know all of this stuff, it's pointless".

"Yes, well some of us are actually taking our education seriously, Black," snapped Holly, "No pun intended," she added at the smirk on James face.

"Lighten up Knight, you're starting to sound like Evans," chuckled Sirius. Holly rolled her eyes, and collected up her books, "I'm going to the library, you coming?" she asked Lily, Bridget and Chris. Lily nodded immediately, shooting death glares at James and Sirius. Chris mumbled something about being comfortable, and reluctantly joined the girls. Bridget glanced apologetically at James, and followed her friends.

"It's true though, they're always so uptight, well, apart from Chris and Bridget, they're alright," continued Sirius.

"Yeah, s'pose," mumbled James. He was still disheartened about yet another argument he and Lily had had in Herbology that morning, where Lily had blamed James for getting compost all over her text book. In all honesty, it was an accident; however Lily had taken it as a personal attack because she was ignoring him.

"Cheer up James, there's no point in moping about one girl, she's not even a nice person," reasoned Sirius.

James shrugged, and opened his Charms text book, moodily turning pages but not really knowing what he was looking for. Sirius gave James up as a lost cause, and challenged Peter to a game of wizard's chess, his homework lying forgotten.

As much as James loved Hogwarts, the fact that Lily barely spoke to him was making it increasingly difficult to enjoy his time there. He didn't know why this was, but something deep inside him just wanted her to like him. If it didn't happen soon, he would surely go crazy.

~**~

The next day, the Gryffindor first years were forced to endure an entire hour of sheer boredom during History of Magic. The class had the potential to be rather interesting, if truth be told. The violence of goblin revolutions and the giant wars could certainly have been rather thrilling, had the drone of the ghostly Professor Binns not sent the entire class (perhaps with the exception of Lily and Remus) into a stupor.

James was on the verge of dozing off, when a strange rattling sound started from beside him. Frowning, James looked sideways and was amused to find Sirius with his head in his arms, snoring and oblivious to the fact he was in the middle of a lesson. Glancing to the front of the class to check Binns was still occupied with his text book; James leant forward and nudged Remus in the back.

The sandy haired boy turned around and frowned at James, holding his quill up, indicating he was in the middle of taking notes. James shook his head, and jerked his thumb at Sirius, who was still peacefully sleeping. Remus stifled a laugh, and nudged Peter, who jumped slightly, then turned around to look at James and Sirius.

With a glint in his eyes, James picked up his quill, and pointed to the bottle of red ink he knew Remus had in his bag. Remus shook his head, and nodded towards Binns. James ignored this, and adopted a pleading look, jutting out his lower lip and widening his eyes.

Remus watched him for a moment, then sighed, and dove under his desk to retrieve the bottle of ink. Peter bounced happily in his seat, his eyes bright with anticipation. James grinned, and took the ink bottle from Remus, who seemed torn between discomfort and amusement.

Carefully dipping his quill into the ink well, James gently scribbled across Sirius' forehead, pausing every now and then to make sure the dark haired boy wouldn't wake up half way through. Remus kept check that Professor Binns was still occupied, and Peter continued to watch James with glee.

Once finished, James carefully and quietly handed Remus his ink bottle, and resumed staring out of the window.

When the bell rang, Sirius was jerked awake by James tapping him on the shoulder.

"Wha...where am I?" Sirius' head shot up, and he glanced around wildly. James snorted, and packed away his things, desperately trying not to laugh.

"You slept all the way through," Remus commented, his mouth twitching slightly, "How do you expect to pass your exams if you're not even going to stay awake for the lessons?"

Sirius smirked, which quickly turned into a yawn.

"I already know it all, plus I'm not bothered about History of Magic," he gathered up his bag and headed towards the door, nodding to Professor Binns as he passed.

"Berkins, that's quite a skin problem you have there," the ghost commented as he drifted past. Sirius scowled, and whipped round to see his friends desperately trying not to laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the young Black demanded, frowning at James.

James shrugged, and pushed past Sirius, "No idea, Binns is loopy."

~**~

"Mr Black, what on Earth is that on your face!"

Sirius stopped dead, his eyes widening at the sudden shrill voice of Professor McGonagall calling his name.

"Uhh..." was all he managed, before a smirking Holly handed him her mirror. Sirius took the mirror with a bemused expression on his face. He held the mirror to his face, and gaped at the word 'seriously' written in red ink across his forehead. Behind him, three Gryffindor boys burst into howling laughter, whilst many other students began to snigger. Professor McGonagall, though she managed to keep her expression as one of disproving, smiled slightly, then handed Sirius a handkerchief.

"Settle down class, and ten points from Gryffindor, Mr Black, I suggest you wash your face on a morning before coming to my lesson from now on."

Sirius grumbled something inaudible, glaring at his friends and handing a chuckling Holly her mirror.

He took a seat next to James, who was still laughing.

"I'll get you back," he muttered huffily.

James wiped a tear from his eye, and shrugged, "I know. But it was so worth it".

Suffice to say, Sirius exacted his revenge during the second hour of Transfiguration by writing a note to Heloise Gibson on the unknown behalf of James telling her he 'really fancied her and liked the smell of her hair'. Whether this was supposed to creep Heloise out, James never knew, all he did know was that Heloise seemed to be looking at James a little too much for his liking, no matter how many times he tried to tell her it was all Sirius.

~**~

After dinner, Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris decided to go for a wander in the school grounds before curfew. There was still quite a thick layer of snow on the ground; however the air seemed to be fresher than usual, indicating that they would be having a short winter and perhaps an early spring.

"...so Heloise actually came and asked me if James said anything about her over Christmas, and when I said no she accused me of not listening hard enough and suggested I take an extra interest in James personal life," Holly's eyes were wide as she told the story to her friends, who found it to be very amusing.

"I thought James would have gone for someone with a little bit more..." Chris tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Brains? Tact? Self restraint?" suggested Holly to a giggling Lily, Bridget and Chris.

"I dont even see what the fascination is with Potter, he's rude, arrogant, self-obsessed..."

Behind her, Holly mouthed Lily word for word, counting the insults on her fingers. Chris and Bridget burst into a fit of giggles, earning a frown from Lily.

"What?"

"You and James, honestly, if it's not you talking about him it's him talking about you. Enough already! You like him, he likes you, now please give my poor ears some peace," cried Holly dramatically. Chris and Bridget were positively howling at the murderous glint in Lily's eyes. Holly rolled her eyes, and chuckled, "Just drop it Lils, we know what you think of him, and frankly the fact that you always bring him up suggests to me you may have a slight crush on my dear cousin," smirked Holly.

"Oh, I dont think she liked that one," laughed Bridget, wrapping an arm around Lily's shoulders, "We're just messing Lils, lighten up."

Lily glared at Bridget, but couldn't suppress the small smile spreading across her face. She had to admit, she did bring James up an awful lot. Though it was definitely NOT for the reasons Holly seemed to have concocted.

The four girls continued on their path through the grounds, wrapping their scarves tighter around their necks to ward off the chill setting in.

"Well if it isn't the mud blood and her little cronies".

Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris whipped around simultaneously, three of them glaring and one of them slightly confused.

"A what? Sorry," asked Lily. She glanced at her friends, who looked ready to kill.

Vivian Kendal and Wilhelmina Jackson smiled smugly at the four Gryffindors. Vivian was an awful girl, a Slytherin third year who apparently took it upon herself to pick on the younger girls as often as possible. Lily still remembered her making fun of her red hair in the first week of term when they passed each other in the corridor. Vivian was tall for her age, with dull blonde hair cut short and stylishly, sly green eyes and a superior air to her. She was pretty, that was undeniable, but she knew it. Her little minion, Wilhelmina Jackson, was a renowned gossip, and often liked to make up rumours about other girls. In a stark contrast to Vivian, Mina was short, slightly tubby, with long messy brown hair and pale grey eyes. She was basically Vivian's slave, though she didn't seem to mind. The pair were normally seen with a third member, Laura Heckleton, however she seemed to be nowhere in sight.

"You take that back Kendal," hissed Holly, drawing her wand.

"What's wrong?" asked Lily, thoroughly confused as to why Holly and the girls seemed to angry.

"She just called you a...a...well you know," whispered Chris, who was drawing her own wand, "Do you have any idea how offensive that is?"

Lily shook her head, and glanced worriedly at her friends, "Just leave it," she reached out to push their wands down.

"That's right girls, listen to the filthy mud blood," sneered Vivian, "You know Evans, aren't you worried about all the Muggle killings that have been happening? Surely you're worried your parents are on the hit list –"

SMACK!

Vivian stumbled back from Lily, clutching her jaw. Mina squealed and jumped to her aid, whilst Holly, Bridget and Chris merely stared at Lily with a mixture of pride and awe on their faces.

"Don't _ever_ talk about my family like that again," Lily hissed through gritted teeth. She turned on her heel and stormed away from the two Slytherin girls, closely followed by Holly, Bridget and Chris.

~**~

"Lily!"

Lily sat down on her bed, seething about what had just happened. Holly, Bridget and Chris watched her with gazes of awe, still unable to process what had just happened.

"What? I wasn't going to stand there and let her say those things!"

"I know," said Holly, still gaping, "But you do have a wand!"

Lily shrugged, "Somehow, I think it would've been less satisfying with a wand."

The four girls burst into laughter, still a little shocked at what had just happened.

"Oh that was simply brilliant," cried Chris, "Lily Evans, punching Vivian Kendall in the face, I never knew you had it in you!"

Lily rolled her eyes, "I'm sure one of you three were about to do it, I just go there first".

"True," said Bridget, "But it's just...so not _you_, blimey, I'm impressed!"

Lily rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Alright, alright, funs over. I'm going to bed."

~**~

Three weeks after James and his friends returned to Hogwarts, Sirius Black was shocked, horrified, and angered beyond belief to find himself being called into a meeting with his parents and Professor Dumbledore about his house 'situation'.

"– does she think she bloody is!"

James ducked again as a lamp was sent flying through the air. It seemed Sirius found the best way to let out his anger was to throw something heavy, which the boys didn't have a problem with, as long as the items thrown didn't hit them.

"What're you gonna do?" asked Peter in the squeaky little voice he used when he was nervous, "You're not gonna go to Slytherin, are you?"

"Don't be an idiot Pete, course he isn't," James scoffed, "Right, mate?" he added, glancing worriedly at Sirius.

Sirius gaped at his friends, "What in the name of Merlin do you take me for?"

James and Remus exchanged amused looks, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"When's the meeting?" asked Remus, waving his wand at the shards of broken lamp scattering the plush red carpet of their room.

Sirius glanced down at the watch on his wrist, and made a noise that sounded suspiciously like the growl of a dog.

"Now. You three coming?"

James, Remus and Peter exchanged looks, then James dove into his trunk to find his invisibility cloak.

"Wha – no!" Remus jumped forward to stop James, "We can't go into that meeting, its _private_!"

Sirius, however, seemed to have cheered up slightly, "Naa, its okay Remus, no one'll be able to see you anyway."

Remus chewed his lip, but saw the smile on Sirius' face. If it made him happy...

"Alright then," James and Sirius high fived each other, "But if we get caught, I was brought against my will."

"Sure thing, Lupin," Sirius and James mock saluted Remus, who just continued to shake his head. Well, at least they made his nights interesting.

~**~

"Pete! My foot!"

"Sorry!"

"He always does it, what were you expecting?"

"It's hard to walk under this thing!"

"Will you three shut up!?" Sirius turned to the empty space behind him, scowling, "If they catch you we're done for!"

"It's not my fault," the voice of an invisible James Potter protested, "Peter has no balance!"

"I do! I just can't walk under this thing!"

Sirius could almost hear Remus rolling his eyes, and stifled a chuckle. He jumped, when he heard the unmistakable _click, click_ of his mother's shiny black boots.

"Keep quiet, they'll kill me if they see you here," Sirius hissed, then turned away from the boys just in time to see his parents, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore round the corner.

"Ahhh, Mr Black, we were just on our way to my office," Professor Dumbledore rested a hand on Sirius' shoulder, his pale blue eyes twinkling merrily.

Sirius nodded, he seemed to be quite nervous now. The small boy merely nodded his head, and fell into step next to his parents, who were either too angry to acknowledge his presence, or were simply ignoring him on purpose, James couldn't tell which.

James, Remus and Peter followed the group as silently as possible. There were a few close calls, mainly Peter's inability to walk on anything other than James' foot, but by the time they reached Professor Dumbledore's office, the three were sure they had gotten away with it; even Remus seemed calmer, and more mischievous than he had first been.

"Exploding bon bon."

The large gargoyle that stood before Professor Dumbledore's office sprang aside for the Headmaster and his guests. Dumbledore signalled for Sirius and his parents to go first, closely followed by Professor McGonagall. James, Remus and Peter were just about to rush past the old wizard, when they felt a tug, and then a slip of the invisibility cloak.

"I understand you are concerned for your friend," James, Remus and Peter paled, all three pairs of eyes widening in horror, "But I am afraid this time, Sirius must be on his own. Do not worry, he will not be forced to do anything he does not want to do," the three boys turned to see Professor Dumbledore watching them with a half amused, half worried look on his face.

"We just don't want him to be put in Slytherin," James quickly piped up, the bolder of the three, "He really doesn't want to be put there, sir. This is all his mum and dad's idea, he really doesn't –"

Dumbledore held up a hand, a small smile on his face, "As I said, Sirius will not be forced to do anything he does not want to do. Now I suggest you get back to your dormitories, I happen to know Peeves is floating around with several Dungbombs, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to be bombarded with them."

The old wizard offered one more smile, then swept into his office. James, Remus and Peter gaped at the gargoyle as it sprang back into place, none of them quite believing their luck.

"How did he know we were there?" James cried incredulously, "Pete! He must've heard you!"

"Sorry," Peter whined, clapping his head in his hands.

Remus patted the small boy on the back, then scowled at James, "I told you it wouldn't work. Can we just go back, Sirius is probably gonna need something to throw after this."

James nodded with a grim smile, and the four boys headed quickly back to their room.

~**~

Sirius returned to the boy's dormitories several hours later, his eyes red rimmed and puffy, and his face pale and blank. He entered the dormitory without a word to the boys, and went straight to his bed.

James, Remus and Peter exchanged worried glances, then hurried over to their friend.

"Sirius, mate...are you alright?" James stepped closer to Sirius, being probably the closer to him out of the three. Sirius, who was lying face down in his four poster bed, mumbled something and shrugged his shoulders.

"What happened?" Peter asked quietly. Beside him, Remus moved a particularly heavy looking textbook onto his own bed, for safety's sake.

Sirius didn't respond, and merely continued to lie face down in the bed. After a few moments, James, Remus and Peter gave up trying to talk to their friend, and moved to ready themselves for bed.

He would tell them when he was ready; he just needed a little time, was all. James, Remus and Peter; they were all willing to wait.

* * *

_What do you think? Any good? Let me know :) I'm off to read as much as I can before I return to the real world (reality is such a bore :[ )_


	8. The End of the First Year

_A/N: And here it is, the last chapter of the Marauders first year at Hogwarts. I know it's gonna be shorter than the others, but the last chapters of each year I've written as a sort of mini-epilogue to each year. Sorry if some of you don't like the way I've written it, but I can't have everything happen in the first year and have nothing for the upcoming years. On the Brightside, this means second year is coming up! And we're creeping ever closer to the all important seventh year (which I'm dying to get started on!) I hope my interpretation of their first year has been enjoyable, now we can get to the really good stuff!_

_A quick note, this story hasn't finished, simply their first year. The next years are still under this title, and the first chapter of second year will be up tomorrow ___

_Review responses:_

_**BloodMoonRising: **__Glad you liked it :D Lily is a feisty young thing, she wasn't going to stand for wha Vivian said! And as for Sirius' meeting with his parents, we won't find out just yet, it's part of a much bigger story line :D Thanks for reading, and I hope you like this conclusion to first year!_

_**Vampfromthemountain:**__ Here it is! Sorry I made you wait, I hope this was worth the wait! Thanks for reading and reviewing, enjoy!_

_**quirky-as-alice: **__He'll be fine, trust me! I'm not going to have him suffer too much, I promise. There's much more to come for Sirius, both happy and sad, all of which I hope you'll enjoy! Thanks for reviewing and reading, and enjoy the next chapter :D_

_**fairydustandcansofspam:**__ We're not done with Sirius and his parents just yet, but Sirius always struck me as one not too talk about his feelings too much, well, at least that's not how I've written him. His meeting with his parents is part of a bigger storyline, and I can't give everything away just yet. Hope you liked it anyway, and I hope you like the conclusion to their first year too._

_**evershort: **__Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! When I first wrote the Lily/Vivian scene, I had just been watching POA, and I couldn't resist! And Sirius will get his happiness, don't worry. No, I'm not stopping the fic. This is just the end of first year, second year will be up tomorrow, it's just new chapters ____ And as for length, I find myself adding new things all of the time, and when I'm done it's always mega long, so I have to move things to other chapters and cut things out! I'm trying to keep it under ten pages for each chapter, I don't want it being so long people will get tired reading it halfway through. This chapter is a little shorter than the others though, I hope you don't mind, but it's more of a conclusion and re-cap, so to speak, it'll be like that for each year. Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you've like the first year!_

_Disclaimer: I'm writing fan fiction...clearly I don't own HP!_

* * *

**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Eight**_

_**The End of the First Year**_

The last Quidditch game of the season was between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff, even admitted by Jonny, had an exceptionally strong team this year, second only to Slytherin, who had beat Ravenclaw the previous week and taken home the cup. Gryffindor were now playing for third place, much to the disappointment of James and Sirius, who vowed that next year when they joined the team, they would ensure the cup was brought back to Gryffindor. James had already spoken with Jonny, who had told them there would be four free positions next year, as many on the team were seventh years who were now leaving.

Gryffindor won, 120-100, keeper Jonny achieving some spectacular saves during the game. Seeker Nina Walton caught the snitch after a neck and neck race with Hufflepuffs Amos Diggory, much to the annoyance of Amos (he could turn quite huffy when it came to Quidditch).

Jonny organized an after party in the Gryffindor common room to celebrate their 'third place' status, and promised the entire crowd they would bring home the cup next year. Whilst James and Sirius were adamant this would happen, James noticed several students seemed to be losing faith in the team. That would all change, in his opinion, once he and Sirius joined the team. Not to brag, but James was rather good.

~**~

As the end of James's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry drew ever closer, he began to reflect on all that happened since he set foot on platform 9 ¾.

He had made some amazing friends, friends he knew would be lifelong. Sirius Black, whom perhaps he was growing closest too, was most like him in attitude and humour. They were inseparable; it was almost as if they were joined at the hip. The two were slowly garnering themselves quite a reputation as pranksters, be it big scale, like the Valentine's day prank he and Sirius had came up with, which involved a tricky little charm James had found in a library book which caused the suits of armour within the castle to shout rather cheeky little messages to all the girls (and Snape) as they walked past. Despite losing Gryffindor fifty points apiece, receiving a good old shout at from Lily and a month's detention each from McGonagall, (Sirius had tried to sweet talk the Professor, but ended up earning an extra week for calling her Minnie), James could have sworn he heard tiny Professor Flitwick commenting to Professor McGonagall on how advanced the charm they'd used was, and that he was impressed that James and Sirius had managed to pull it off. Or be it small scale, like turning Nancy Dunn's hair green for an entire day and charming a group of second year girls' bags to refuse to open.

Since their little midnight stroll, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had taken to wandering the halls almost nightly, searching for any other hidden passages. So far, they had only discovered two, the one Peter had accidently fell into behind the mirror on the fourth floor, and one that led from the portrait of the screaming Banshees on the second floor to the bookcase in the History of Magic classroom on the first floor, ensuring they would never again be late for the lesson (not that they were bothered with being late to such a tedious lesson anyway). Sirius had taken to writing down all of their findings on a piece of parchment he kept under his pillow in their dormitory for 'future reference', adding it to the list of trick steps and hidden doorways they'd already found.

However the biggest thing to happen that year, and perhaps the worst, was the news they received on the fourteenth of May. Lord Voldemort, an advocate for the 'purification' of the wizarding world, and his Death Eater minions struck again, this time in a small village near the city of Manchester. However, it was an attack against wizards this time, which was what shocked their world the most.

Aaron Turner's grandparents, who were both Muggle borns, and were well respected throughout the Ministry after speaking out against the Muggle attacks, were killed. It was the first known attack on a wizard by Voldemort, and the entire wizarding population were extremely shook up by it.

Those who came from Muggle families were most affected, and even Lily had been seen to be rather jumpy during the morning post (although he didn't know it, after hearing about the attack Vivian Kendal's threat seemed more real), when the infamous black envelope from Ministry signalling an attack on a family member would arrive.

Fortunately, no further attacks against wizards or wizard's families occurred, however there were several more disappearances within the Muggle community, most likely the work of Voldemort.

Remus's mother, however, showed no signs of a speedy recovery, and Remus would leave at least once a month to visit her. James never did find out whether his mother had spoken to the Healers at St Mungo's, every time he mentioned it in a letter, the query would simply be ignored in the reply. James didn't forget about the incident, but out of respect for Remus, decided to drop it. Yet Sirius seemed to have noticed the disappearances too, and often commented that it was always once a month when he left. But he, like James, didn't want to seem nosy, or press into Remus' private life. If something was wrong, surely he would tell them in his own time.

Sirius still refused to talk about the meeting in Dumbledore's office. Whenever James brought it up, he simply said he made it clear he wasn't moving to Slytherin, and that was that. James expected to hear about the repercussions in some rather heated letters from Sirius over the summer, though. Someday, Sirius would tell him what had been said between the Black family and Professor Dumbledore, but James had come to learn Sirius wasn't one to talk about his feelings; he was more of an introvert when it came to such matters. James was willing to wait, and be there for Sirius when the time came.

Of course, the ongoing war between James and Snape showed no end either. James had been reprimanded on more than one occasion for hexing the young Slytherin; however the teachers never actually seemed to be around when Snape – or Snivellus, as Sirius now referred him to – was taunting James, most usually about Lily.

Lily never knew of the taunting either, and James had given up trying to make her see sense. He simply tried to get Snape when Lily and the teachers weren't around, with a little help from his friends and an invisibility cloak, of course. Sirius would often 'sacrifice himself' as he called it, by hexing Snape for James. Sirius didn't care how many point he lost, how many detentions he received, or how many glares he received from Lily, hexing Snape was a sport to him, one he sought to continue for life it seemed.

Peter seemed to have settled in with his friends very well. Though he was rather quiet alot of the time, he was slowly gaining confidence from his time spent with James and Sirius, and had taken to just going along with their little schemes, whereas Remus had established himself as a sort of authority figure within the group, often tending to steer Sirius away from any potentially dangerous ideas he had concocted, though he did participate in several pranks. Sirius often said there was a young troublemaker deep down within Remus, and he fully intended to unleash the beast. Remus found this comment to be both hilarious and slightly unnerving, given his condition.

As for Lily and her friends, they mostly kept themselves to themselves and were generally liked by most of their class mates, each of them very different, but seeming to balance each other out nicely.

Christina was mostly known for upbeat outlook on life and her outgoing, bubbly personality (not to mention her self-confessed 'boy obsession', which had only continued to grow as the time went by. She now had sixteen potential crushes, the last time she counted).

Holly was recognised for her sharp intelligence and sarcastic wit, many saying she must have surely been a candidate for Ravenclaw during the sorting. She also seemed to have developed quite a distaste towards Sirius Black, after he charmed her quill to write nothing but swear words for an entire Herbology lesson. Her disdain for Black was almost as strong as Lily's, though Sirius didn't seem to care whether Holly liked him or not.

Bridget was the kind, compassionate member of the group, the one who settled arguments and made sure Lily didn't wring James' neck every time she saw him.

And Lily? Well, Lily was the brain box, the voice of reason with a fiery temperament none wished to ignite. Lily had garnered a certain amount of respect amongst her peers, and was not afraid to speak up against James and his friends where others merely shrank back. After news of her tussle with Vivian Kendal got out, she had received more than a few pats on the back and congratulatory handshakes from many Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Jonny, Holly's older brother, even announced to the entire common room one night how proud he was of Lily, and how much he wished she could be adopted into the Knight family, and even though he was a prefect, declined from reporting the incident, and even offered to vouch for Lily should Vivian report to her head of house. Luckily she didn't, however she always seemed to have a murderous glint in her eye whenever Lily was around.

All in all, it had been a rather eventful, fun filled year. The initial worries of making friends and getting used to using magic were gone. Everyone seemed to have settled in, and it now seemed, the fun was really about to begin.

~**~

"We're free!"

Sirius bounded out into the bright sunshine, gambolling out of the castle and towards the lake. James and the others chuckled at his antics, and were quick to follow him.

They had just finished their last exam, and as three of the top students in the year, James, Sirius and Remus were confident they had passed with flying colours. Peter, who needed a little extra help here and there, was reasonably happy with his attempt, especially in Herbology.

After splashing themselves with water to cool down, they decided to sit under a rather large tree near the water's edge. James flopped himself down onto the cool shaded grass, and began trying to build a house of cards with his exploding snap pack. Sirius lay down in the warm sun, his head resting against the trunk of the tree, arms folded casually behind his head. Remus took out the current book he'd been reading, but wasn't as absorbed as he usually was. Peter took to watching James complete his card house, clapping every time James managed another row.

"So, we're gonna meet up in the holidays, yeah?" asked Sirius lazily.

"Yeah," replied James, "I'm sure my mum wouldn't mind having you all over for a couple of days."

"Cool," grinned Sirius, secretly hoping he'd manage to get away from Grimmauld Place for a few weeks at least. The four boys basked in the summer sunshine, knowing that in a few days, there first year of Hogwarts was over.

"I can't wait for next year, Quidditch tryouts," continued Sirius, "Your still trying out James, aren't you?"

"Course, wouldn't miss it for the world," he beamed, carefully placing the final card atop his card house. He raised his hands in triumph, and Peter began to clap loudly. The next second, the entire thing exploded, singing Peter's eyebrows.

"Sorry Pete," chuckled James, tapping Peter's eyebrows with his wand to fix them. Peter shook his head, a wide smile spread across his face. He always did that, even if something bad happened he'd have a big smile on his face. James thought it was a bit weird, but had a feeling it had something to do with feeling included.

~**~

Lily and her friends skipped out of the great hall, out of the main castle, and into the summery school grounds. The sun cast gentle warmth on Lily's face when they stepped out, and a mild breeze caused her vibrant auburn hair to flutter effortlessly behind her. Big, fat fluffy clouds hung lazily in the sky, and Lily couldn't remember when she'd had a more perfect summer's day.

Her first year at Hogwarts had been amazing. She had of course been very worried about the whole magical concept, and whether she'd be able to even do magic, however she had found she seemed to have a natural affinity for magic, and couldn't wait for her results.

She had made some amazing friends too. Holly, Bridget and Chris had quickly become like sisters to her, and she could tell their friendship was one that would last. And as well as that, she had probably made some everlasting enemies.

James Potter, namely. She really didn't understand that boy. One moment, he had been hexing Severus, the next, apologizing for it, and then going back to hexing him! The boy infuriated her, not only because of his bullying towards Snape and other students he didn't like, but because of his total disregard for rules, his arrogance, his stupid best friend Black...everything! Everything about him just annoyed her!

Luckily, Lily was a resilient young girl, and she would never show Potter how much he annoyed her, she'd merely speak her mind when she felt the need (and maybe throw a punch or two if he really got out of hand).

Lily led her friends to the water's edge of the great lake. The giant squid, which really was a docile thing, was swimming lazily, its tentacles occasionally reaching out of the water to swat at a passing owl or other bird. The four girls removed their shoes and waded into the water a little, revelling in the cool water lapping at their ankles.

"Wow, I'm glad that's over," Chris groaned, rubbing her head. In the sunlight, her hair shone a bright gold colour and her eyes sparkled with relief.

"It wasn't that bad," yawned Holly, kicking the water with a slightly bored look on her face, "I'm pretty sure I've passed. What about you Lils?"

Lily shrugged, and rolled her eyes at the snorts from Holly, Bridget and Chris.

"Okay, I guess I've passed," she mumbled.

"Guessed," Bridget snorted again, "You're top of our year and you know it."

Lily shook her head and laughed, soon joined by the other three.

~**~

"...and now, as another school year ends, I wish you all a pleasant summer. May I remind our younger students to refrain from practising their practical magic during the holidays, we'll know if you do," Professor Dumbledore, dressed in rather bright summery day blue robes and matching hat (which even had a pattern of little moving clouds on it), gazed at his students for the last time before summer holidays set in, "I hope you all have a wonderful break, and rest well for your next year. I myself will be travelling to sunny Mexico for a week or two," many sniggers broke out through the hall at the thought of their esteemed headmaster sunning himself in Mexico of all places, holiday shorts and all, "For those of you leaving, I wish you all the best in the lives you are about to embark on, and for those of you returning, I look forward to seeing plenty of hard work and dedication when you come back," James and Sirius in particular, snorted at this, "And now, it is time to announce the house cup results".

James and Sirius waited on bated breath as the scores were read out by Professor Dumbledore.

"In fourth place, with three hundred and twenty four points...Hufflepuff!"

The hall applauded the Hufflepuffs politely, and waited for the next result.

"In third place, with three hundred and forty nine points...Gryffindor!"

James and Sirius groaned in unison, and the pair distinctly heard Jonny, Fabian, Gideon and Simon cry out protests and demanding a recount. Dumbledore chuckled at this, and smiled apologetically.

"In second place, with four hundred and six points....Ravenclaw!"

"NO!" cried James, whilst Sirius let his head fall forward onto the table. That meant...

"And with four hundred and thirty five points, our winners are...Slytherin!"

The table next to Gryffindor erupted with applause. The Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and a few Gryffindor politely clapped for the house, James and his friends not included.

"You know why we lost," came a voice over the din that James instantly recognised, "Potter and Black losing all those points on Valentine's Day".

James pretended not to hear, and ignored the small twist in his stomach. Bugger her, he thought, it's wasn't always him!

~**~

The Hogwarts Express slowed to a stop in London's Kings Cross station, students immediately jumping down on to the platform and rushing to meet their families. The summer had finally begun, and James was relieved he'd have two months of freedom from homework and exams, before he had to go back.

The exam results had been given out the week following the exams, and to everybody's relief, all first year students had passed. Lily, of course came top of the year, and much to everyone's surprise (apart from James and Sirius), James and Sirius had been a close second.

James spotted his parents in the crowd standing with his aunt and uncle. After waving goodbye to his friends, and reminding them to keep in touch, he made his way through the jostling crowds towards them.

"James honey, we've missed you," Mrs Potter smiled whilst hugging him.

"I've missed you too mum, dad," James returned the embrace, and hugged his father.

"Come on, let's get home," started Mr Potter as the three bade farewell to Holly and her family, and headed towards the barrier leading to the Muggle world. Just as James was about to walk through the barrier, he spotted Lily and her parents chatting with Chris's mum and dad. James caught her eye, and smiled. Lily rolled her eyes, and turned back to her parents.

James sighed, and followed his parents through the barrier. _Next year_, he thought, _next year she'll like me_.

* * *

_Any good? Or a load of old rubbish? Let me know._

_Oh, and here's a little teaser for second year...:D_

"_Black, Regulus!"_

_There were murmurs throughout the hall, and more than one pair of eyes turned to Sirius. He ignored them, however, and focused on his brother._

_A few moments later (though to Sirius, it seemed like hours), the sorting hat opened the rip that was it's 'mouth', and screamed..._

"_SLYTHERIN!"_

_The table beside James erupted into loud screaming and applause and James had to physically restrain his friend when he spotted Snape leaning over and introducing himself to the newly sorted Regulus._


	9. The Second Year Begins

_A/N: Here it is, second year! Wooo! Ha, I'm rather excited if I'm honest. Hope you all like it!_

_I wasn't actually going to post today, as I'm back to work. But, after much deliberation, I simply couldn't resist, and I got this sorted before I had to go in. _

_review responses:_

_**000kayko000:** Thanks, I'm glad you liked them :D Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the start of second year!_

_**appleeater123:** I know, things could have been so much different for Sirius if Reg was sorted into Gryffindor. That's a really good idea, I'd definitely read it! I think you should. Thanks for reading, I hope you like this chapter._

_**quirky-as-alice:** Here it is! I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading!_

_**splatteredpaint:** Poor Sirius, I know, his parents are awful, and poor Remus with his secret. They'll find out soon, I promise ;). The animagi won't be for awhile yet, but I'm really excited for that too! Escpecially the nicknames! And the map! Oh, there's just so much to write haha. Deep down she does, it's just gonna take a lot of time (maybe even divine intervention) to make her realise it, but she will, otherwise Harry would've never even exsisted! And we can't have that now, can we. I'm glad you liked the speech, I'm trying to keep everyone as in character as possible, so it's good that you think it was like him. Their summer lives won't be as eventful yet, since they've only really known each other a few months. Plus, Sirius' parents are being awful, Remus still hasn't told his secret, and Peter's dad is pretty mean too. I hope you don't mind. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I really hope you like the beginning of second year!_

_Disclaimer: It's fan fiction...operative word being FAN...I don't own HP._

_

* * *

_

**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Nine**_

**_The Second Year Begins_**

Three week into his holidays, and James was already itching to get back to Hogwarts. He'd owled his friends almost daily, begging them to come and visit. Remus, whom he knew to be on holiday at the moment, had replied saying he'd ask his parents once they got back to England, but wasn't sure if he'd definitely be allowed. Peter had been the same, except when he asked his parents, his father flat refused to allow him out with 'the Potter's boy'.

With a heavy heart, James got ready to send the last letter of the day, a letter asking Sirius Black if he'd be allowed to visit for a few weeks. If Peter wasn't allowed, he highly doubted Sirius would. After all of the fuss made over his house (which he _still_ hadn't discussed with the rest of the boys), James was sure the Black's would want Sirius to be kept as far away from he and his family as possible.

James re-read the letter once more, his stomach twisting. He missed his friends dearly, but he didn't want to get him into trouble by asking him to stay.

"Love letter to Lily?"

James jumped at the sound of a voice behind him, and spun around to see his smirking cousin leaning against the doorway. James rolled his eyes and turned back to his letter.

"Sod off Knight, what do you want?"

Holly clapped her hand to her heart dramatically, "Oh, Potter, that hurt! Just came to harass you. Bridget's on holiday, Chris is stuck babysitting – _still_ –, and Lil's is busy with family stuff, so I have no one but Jonny to talk to," Holly stepped into the room and flopped onto James' large bed, idly sifting through the pile of Quidditch magazines he'd been reading, "And talking to Jonny for more than five minutes makes me want to throttle him."

James snorted and folded his letter into a small envelope. He scribbled down the address and walked over to Merlin the owl.

"Take this to Sirius, but be subtle about it, we don't want his mum and dad kicking up a fuss," James patted the owl on the head, who hooted as if to reassure him. Merlin spread his large brown wings and took off through the window. James watched the bird for a moment, until the owl was so small he was forced to squint to see it. He rubbed his eyes behind his glasses, then turned to Holly.

"Remus is on holiday, Peter isn't allowed to hang around with me, and Sirius...well...Sirius'll probably get wrong for even suggesting it," James flopped into his chair desk, a small frown on his face. Holly sighed, stretching on the bed.

"Poor us, eh? No friends for the summer, shame," the dark haired girl stood up, "Thank Merlin we're off on holiday next week, I can't deal with this boredom."

"Lucky you," James said moodily. Holly sighed again, taking pity on her cousin.

"I'm sure Sirius will be able to visit, and once Remus gets back, you might be able to have him over."

James snorted, "The Black's hate us, even I know that. Dad won't admit it, but when Aunt Ivy married Uncle Ian, our family was blacklisted completely!"

Holly's expression darkened. She'd heard the stories, not directly, but she, James and Jonathan had over heard enough conversations to know the Potter's were cast out of the 'pure-blood' circle the day her mum and dad had announced their engagement. And if that was how bad it was back then, Holly shuddered to think what was made of it with _him_ out on the loose, spreading prejudiced ideals.

"Well, you never know," the dark eyed girl said after a few minutes pause, "Wanna go flying? We're gonna need the practice," she adopted the brightest look she could, hoping to pull James out of his disheartened stupor.

James smiled; flying was Holly's answer to anything, whatever was wrong, whatever had happened, she'd always say flying was the best way to sort it.

James stood up, and smiled, "Yeah, not that I need the practice, we both know I'm definitely making the team."

Holly rolled her eyes, and laughed, "There's the arrogant cousin I know and love, come on."

The two cousins hurried from James' room, grabbing a spare broom for Holly, and proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon flying their troubles away, forgetting about the outside world and simply enjoying being twelve year olds.

When James returned to his room that evening, he found Merlin waiting patiently on his windowsill, ruffling his feathers and clearly eager to get to a night of hunting. James chuckled as he relieved the owl of his letter, stroking his silky feathers a few times in thanks.

"Just one more letter, then you can go and catch your mice."

Merlin merely hooted, and flew over to his cage in the corner of the room. James unfolded the letter, and quickly began to read.

_Alright Potter!_

_I'm really sorry mate, but the parents said no. They didn't seem all too angry that I asked actually, they just said 'maybe next year'. Weird, huh? I think if I annoy them enough, they might beg me to leave the house for a bit, so I'll try that eh?_

_They still seem miffed that I didn't move to Slytherin, but they've been so busy preening Reg they've forgotten I'm even here, which kinda works for me, if I'm honest. I'm praying Reg is sorted into Gryffindor, I reckon mum would have a stroke! I thought it would be a lot worse than this, but all they've really done is bang on about Voldemort and shot a couple of sly remarks my way, nothing I can't handle. I think if Reg wasn't going to Hogwarts this year it would've been a lot worse, I'm dreading next year. Once they realise I'm not moving to Slytherin, they'll probably want rid of me anyway, so it's only a matter of time._

_So I guess we'll have to wait till September 1__st__ mate, Lupin sent me a letter from his holiday, he's going on about the weirdest things. Apparently he rode this train that had tracks twenty feet high! No idea what that's about, Muggles are bloody strange. Peter's written a few times, keeps complaining that he's bored out of his mind and can't wait to get back to exploring the castle, mind you, I can't wait either, I've been looking over my list and there must be more out there. _

_We clocked up thirty detentions last year, mum kept all the letters as a way to show the 'bad effects of being a Gryffindor', or some rubbish like that. Thirty! I'm disappointed, I reckon we could get so much more than that, what d'ya say Potter? Reckon you can beat me next year? _

_I'd better go, the Malfoy's are coming over so I've gotta put on a show. I might use a couple of those Dungbombs Jonny gave us, that'll spice up the evening. Chin up mate, it's only a few more weeks._

_See you soon,_

_Sirius_

James sighed, and quickly scribbled back a reply. Sirius sounded rather upbeat in his letter, but from what James had learned from Sirius, he doubted those were his real feelings. He knew why Sirius wasn't allowed to visit, just as he knew why Peter wasn't either.

"Maybe next year, eh?" James said to no one in particular. From across the room, Merlin hooted dolefully, and James' spirits lifted slightly.

~**~

"James, all packed?"

"Yeah dad, I'll be down in a minute."

James glanced around his room to make sure he hadn't left anything. Satisfied that he had managed to locate all of his school stuff, which had somehow managed to spread itself all over his large house during the course of the summer, James gathered up his trunk, Merlin the owl and his broomstick, and set off downstairs.

James had grown quite a bit in the summer. He was only twelve, and already taller than his mother. Unfortunately, he was still rather skinny, though hopefully if all went well during this year's Quidditch tryouts, he'd be able to fill out a bit more due to training. Summer had been pleasant, as always, but James's dad had been right. He missed Hogwarts terribly. And he missed his friends. None of them had eventually been able to visit this year, but he had his fingers crossed for next year.

After a year of friendship James couldn't imagine spending time with anybody else. Sirius was just like him, outgoing, troublesome and always on the lookout for fun. Remus was the sensible one, he was the one who gave great advice, and on more than one occasion had talked with James long into the night about his troubles with Lily, not to mention he could pull a prank or two when he was in the mood. And Peter, well Peter was quiet, but sweet. He never argued, and liked to have fun too, although he would take a backseat when it came to the more troublesome stuff, like Sirius's constant complaints that they didn't go to the Forbidden forest enough.

"Right, all set," asked Mr Potter. James nodded, and checked his watch. It was time.

~**~

Platform 9¾ was abuzz with excitement as the students of Hogwarts prepared to make the journey back to their second home.

James wound his way through the crowds, a sense of coming home settling in. With an eager grin, he began to search for people he knew. He spotted Remus chatting with Peter near one of the train compartments. Their parents had already left, and their trunks were presumably already on the train.

"Well son, we'll say our goodbyes here," Mr Potter hugged his son tightly, then handed him over to his mother.

"Now I'm hoping last year's detentions were simply because of your excitement for starting, _please_ behave yourself."

James grinned cheekily, "Course mum, I'll try to behave at least."

Mrs Potter shook her head and smiled; "Now we'll see you at Christmas, and dont forget to owl us."

"I will mum, bye, love you!" called James as he dragged his trunk over to Remus and Peter.

"Hey guys!"

"James!" greeted Remus happily, "How was your summer?"

"A little lonely, but good, Jonny and Holly popped over quite a bit," replied James, "What about you?"

"Florida was brilliant, I've got loads of photo's to show you all," Remus led the boys onto the train, "We went to a...umm..._theme_ _park_ thing with all of these rides, they were mad!"

James laughed, "What about you Pete?"

Peter shrugged, "Quiet, as usual, I'm really glad to be back, I really missed this place."

"Me too," agreed James, as the three boys loaded James' trunk aboard the train and found the compartment Remus and Peter had picked, "Has anyone seen Sirius?"

Remus and Peter shook their heads, "No but I saw his cousin," Remus said darkly. James shrugged, and took a seat opposite Peter after stowing away his trunk, "He'll find us."

~**~

"Oh look at you Regulus, all grown up and off to Hogwarts."

Regulus blushed at his older cousins fussing, and swatted her away.

"'Dromeda, I'm not a little kid," he whined.

"That's right, he's on his way to becoming a fully grown wizard!"

"Oh shush Sirius," chuckled Andromeda, brushing some non-existent dirt from Regulus' shoulders. Andromeda was Sirius's favourite cousin. She was nothing like her sisters Narcissa and Bellatrix. She was kind, and thoughtful, and completely opposed to anything to do with the Dark Arts, thus making her quite unpopular with many members of the family. Sirius shuddered to think of how they would react when they found out she was still dating that Muggle-born she'd met in her seventh year of Hogwarts.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the Gryffindor reject."

Sirius rolled his eyes and turned to face one of his least favourite cousins, Narcissa, thanking Merlin this was her last year.

"Cissy, stop it," snapped Andromeda. Narcissa, being the younger sibling, faltered slightly, but the young woman was quickly becoming quite sure of herself, and Sirius knew it was only a matter of time until Andromeda couldn't control her anymore.

"Well it's true, he's a disgrace! I bet he begged not to be in Slytherin just to spite the family!" spat the golden haired Narcissa, "Bella said as much when she went over to Aunty Walburga's, said he was actually proud of being in Gryffindor."

Andromeda threw Narcissa an annoyed look, then turned back to her cousin's.

"I'd better go before the train leaves, as much as I'd like to go back, my boss will kill me if I miss work today," she chuckled, and began smoothing down Regulus' hair.

Sirius snorted, and clasped Regulus's shoulder.

"Come on, I want to introduce to my friends", he hugged Andromeda, and glared at Narcissa as they passed.

"Reg, don't you get sucked into his little clan," called Narcissa, "Stick with your family!"

"He is my family you idiot!" sneered Sirius, practically dragging Regulus onto the train, "I am so bloody glad Bella's left, I can't deal with the both of them!"

Regulus bit his lip, and sighed. He hated how much Sirius fought with the rest of the family, especially since he'd been placed in Gryffindor. He was a little disappointed. He wanted to please his parents and be sorted into Slytherin, but he also wanted to be around his older brother too.

~**~

Lily bade farewell to her father, (Petunia hadn't even bothered to come this time, complaining of a 'sore stomach') and climbed aboard the Hogwarts express. The crowd outside was thinning now, so she assumed Holly, Bridget and Chris were already on the train. She passed several compartments, until she spotted a small, black haired boy sitting alone. She grinned and opened the door.

"Hey Sev!"

Severus jumped, and his face broke into a wide grin, "Lily!"

Lily sat down next to Severus, and peered around to see the book he was reading. She frowned, as it had no title, but the black leather bound covering unnerved her slightly.

"What are you reading?"

"Nothing," he snapped the book shut and stuffed it into his bag, "Nothing you'd be interested in."

Lily frowned, but decided to let it slide.

"So how was your summer, I didn't see you at all?"

Severus's expression darkened, and he sighed, "It was just...quiet, I guess. I didn't feel much like going out."

Lily bit her lip, and placed her hand atop his. Severus's stomach flipped, and he groaned inwardly.

"Well if you ever need to talk, you know where I am," she smiled.

Severus frowned, "You're not staying?"

Lily shook her head apologetically, "I need to find the girls, I haven't seen them all summer either."

"Why do you hang round with them? Knight is Potter's cousin, you know."

Lily frowned, "Yes, but she's nothing like Potter, she's a wonderful friend."

"They're all the same," he mumbled, "Well at least you're not sucked into Potter like most of the other girls. You're smarter than that!"

Lily grinned, "Potter is far too arrogant to be friends with me, maybe if he changed..."

"He'll never change!" cried Severus. Lily jumped, and backed away a little. There was something about the glint in Severus's eye that she didn't like.

"Well, I'd better go," she stood up; "See you at the feast."

Severus nodded, and watched her as she walked away. She truly was beautiful; thank god she hated Potter as much as he did.

~**~

"Lily!"

Lily beamed as she stuck her head into one of the last compartments, and spied Holly, Bridget and Chris already making themselves comfortable in their compartment.

"Hi guys, miss me?"

"Of course," grinned Chris. Christina had gotten alot taller over the summer, whilst Holly, Lily and especially Bridget appeared to have stayed exactly the same. The blonde seemed to tower over her friends, much to her apparent glee.

"How was your summer?" asked a tanned Holly brightly.

"Okay, Petunia wasn't too bad; she was out with her friends from school alot of the time. What about you? I heard you spent a month in Australia."

Holly beamed, "It was brilliant! We went trekking in the outback, and Jonny almost got kicked in the face by a Kangaroo!"

The four girls roared with laughter at the image Holly had put in their minds. As much as they loved Jonny, he was a prankster at heart, and had gotten them a few times last year, so it seemed like a fitting punishment.

"Bridget?"

Bridget stopped laughing, and smiled, "We went to Spain...again. We go there every year; it's a lovely place mind you."

"What about you Chris?"

Christina finished laughing, and shrugged, "Pretty boring...umm...my mum isn't really happy about me going out anymore."

The three girls fell silent. There had been several more attacks by Lord Voldemort over the summer, some of them resulting in deaths. The entire wizarding population was becoming more and more fearful as each case was reported. It seemed this 'Lord Voldemort' man was deadly serious when it came to the purification of the wizarding world.

"I also found out Jonny's scared of snakes. He's never seen one until we went on holiday...he screams louder than me!"

Holly's attempt to lighten the mood worked, and the girls fell into bouts of laughter once again, wiping tears from their eyes.

~**~

"Sirius!"

James jumped to his feet and clapped his friend on the shoulder. If truth be told, he'd missed Sirius the most of all of his friends. Sirius was so much like him it was scary, and the pair had become extremely close since their first meeting on the Hogwarts express; exactly one year ago.

"Hi guys, miss me?" he grinned cheekily. James snorted, and returned to his seat. His eyes rested upon the small nervous looking boy next to Sirius. He had dark hair just like Sirius's, but stormy blue eyes where Sirius had grey. He also had more pointed features, but still held the trademark haughty good looks notable to the Black family.

"Guys, this is Regulus, my brother," Sirius finally introduced with a smile. Regulus smiled nervously, and held out his shaking hand to James.

"Hi, I'm James," grinned James, shaking Regulus's hand. Regulus seemed to ease a little at his warm welcome, and matched his grin.

"I'm Remus, and this is Peter," Remus indicated to Peter, who waved, "Are you nervous about starting Hogwarts?" he asked as he shook Regulus's hand. Regulus glanced at his older brother who smiled warmly.

"A little I guess, but I have Sirius, and my cousins, so I guess that's okay."

Remus nodded kindly, but didn't miss the scowl on Sirius's face, most likely to do with the mention of Narcissa.

"Are all of you in Gryffindor?" asked Regulus as he took a seat in between Sirius and James.

"Yeah, it's the best house, it'll be great if you're in it too, you'll make some great friends," beamed James. Regulus shifted uncomfortably. His parent's reaction to Sirius being sorted into Gryffindor had been bad; he didn't want to upset his parents like that. Summer had been tense enough, without adding to the problem.

"Umm...yeah, I guess," the younger Black mumbled. Sirius was about to reply when the door to their compartment slid open, and four young girls entered. James visibly stiffened at the sight of Lily, his hand flying to his hair. Remus quirked an eyebrow at the action, and fought the urge to laugh. He'd ask about it later.

"Hi guys!" Chris waved brightly at the boys and squeezed in next to Peter and Remus. Lily took a seat on the other side of Remus, Bridget next to Peter whilst Holly slid in next to Sirius. Sirius flashed a cheeky grin at Holly, and she felt her face warm up. She frowned, this had certainly never happened before. Once again, Remus seemed to be the only one who noticed his friend's actions; but when he glanced at Lily, she was looking at Holly strangely too. Well, at least he wasn't the only oblivious one.

"Ladies, this is my brother, Regulus," Sirius immediately jumped to introduce his brother.

"Mate, are you gonna show him off to the entire train?" chuckled James. Sirius scowled at James, but couldn't hide his smirk.

"Hello Regulus, I'm Lily Evans," Lily held out her hand and Regulus shook it. Lily was very pretty, he thought, but he remembered his brother telling him she was a Muggle-born. Pity.

After being introduced to the girls, Regulus announced he wanted to go and spend some more time with Narcissa. Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but knew it would be a fruitless attempt. Sirius may be Regulus's hero, but he was just as stubborn as his brother.

"So how was everybody's summer?" asked Chris brightly.

"Quiet," replied James, Sirius and Peter.

"I went to Florida to this Muggle theme park, it was brilliant! We went on these rides...one of them was called a...umm...roll-coast?"

"A rollercoaster," smiled Lily, "Yes I went to Disneyland the year before I came to Hogwarts, it was great."

Remus and Lily continued to smile at each other. James glanced at Sirius, and scowled. Why would Lily smile at Remus and not him? Surely they didn't....no....no Remus knew James liked Lily alot, he wouldn't do that...would he? They barely talked to each other. What was going on?

"I went trekking in the outback," piped up Holly, "Oh and James, you'll never guess what Jonny found out in his Hogwarts letter."

"What?" asked James.

"He's Quidditch captain," she beamed, "Brilliant, isn't it! I mean I was surprised at the whole prefect thing, but I knew he'd make captain, as much as the guy annoys me, he's one of the best keepers I've seen in a long time, he's even better than some of the professionals!"

James's face lit up at the news, and the thoughts of Lily and Remus faded to the back of his mind, "Holly that's bloody brilliant, you know what that means?"

"No, James he's not going to let us on the team just 'cause we're related," James smile faded, "He made that quite clear," she continued.

"Whatever, I'll still make the team," grinned James. Lily snorted in disgust.

"And there was me thinking your ego would deflate with age."

James blinked confusedly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he felt a strange anger bubbling up in his chest.

Lily rolled her laughing eyes, "Oh come on Potter, you're always so full of yourself, I suppose that's why you pick on people like Sev who can't defend themselves".

"Guys can we just try and be civil," pleaded Bridget.

"You're still angry about _that_!" cried James, "Merlin, Evans, I thought you were mature enough not to hold petty grudges!"

Lily's eyes flashed dangerously and her vivid red hair seemed to brighten, "You know what Potter, I'm not even going to waste my breath on you! You're insufferable, you know that! How this lot manage to put up with you, I'll never know!" She jumped to her feet and stormed from the compartment. Chris and Bridget both smiled apologetically at James, and hurried after her. Holly sighed, and stood up.

"James, if you're ever going to get her to like you, try acting like the nice guy you are...please," she squeezed his shoulder, and left the compartment.

James mouthed wordlessly at his friends. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened there.

"What the hell just happened there!" he exclaimed, "Seriously, what did I do?!"

Remus shook his head as if to say 'isn't it obvious', which only angered James more.

"It's alright for you Remus, she likes you!" he exclaimed. Remus frowned, and glanced at Peter, who shrugged.

"James, it's just a girl, dont let her get to you," reasoned Peter.

"Exactly!" started Sirius, "If you let her get to you, she's won! If you want her to like her, show her you're the strong one, and that she doesn't get to you. Girls like a chase mate, trust me."

"And what would you know about that?" Remus quirked an eyebrow, "Listen James, take Holly's advice, you're a nice guy."

James shook his head, "No, no Sirius and Peter are right, she won't get to me, I won't let her!"

The finality in his voice told the boys the conversation was over, and Lily was soon forgotten as Remus pulled out his holiday photos and began showing them the weird Muggle rides he'd been on whilst on holiday.

~**~

_Another year has now begun,  
__At Hogwarts School of Magic.  
__Some will find this simply fun,  
__Whilst others find it tragic._

_But have no fear, my little ones,  
__The old and the brand new.  
__The homework isn't all that hard,  
__The tests won't make you blue._

_Now onto more important things,  
__To sort you, I must aim.  
__For those who don't know what that is,  
__Sit back, let me explain._

_A thousand year ago, I think,  
__Was when it all began.  
__Two wizards and two witches,  
__Together had a plan._

_To build a school, said Slytherin,  
__To teach our younger kin.  
__Aha! Indeed, cried Gryffindor,  
__Pass on our knowledge therein!_

_And so our great four founders,  
__They built this mighty school,  
__And for some time, all went well,  
__Until there came new rules._

_Teach only those of purest blood,  
__Said sly old Slytherin,  
__With cunning minds and tricky ways,  
__I'll take from here on in._

_And of the noble and the brave,  
__Boomed mighty Gryffindor.  
__Those daring hearts will need my help,  
__If they are to go far._

_And eager minds, those ready to learn,  
__Said fair young Ravenclaw,  
__Teach them I will, my own bright ways,  
__That will be my law._

_I do not mind, it does not matter,  
__Called dear sweet Hufflepuff,  
__To me the children are the same,  
__I'll teach them up to snuff._

_And so it happened, I was created  
__To sort you all into,  
__The four great founders houses,  
__Each one a different view._

_So if you are brave, and noble and daring,  
__To Gryffindor you go.  
__Or if you desire to get to the top,  
__Slytherin will be your show._

_If you are clever, witty and quick,  
__Ravenclaw is your game.  
__Loyalty, kindness and equality,  
__Then Hufflepuff you shall remain._

_So come on up, my little ones,  
__For now the time has come.  
__To sort you now I must begin,  
__Till everyone is done!_

The students applauded loudly, particularly in the vicinity of James and Sirius. James seemed to recall the song had changed from last year, but was just as fun to listen to.

The Great Hall was at its usual splendour as the new students of Hogwarts were sorted into their houses. The boys didn't have to wait long to see the fate of Regulus, Sirius sat through the entire time with his fingers crossed.

"Black, Regulus!"

There were murmurs throughout the hall, and more than one pair of eyes turned to Sirius. He ignored them, however, and focused on his brother.

A few moments later (though to Sirius, it seemed like hours), the sorting hat opened the rip that was its 'mouth', and screamed...

"SLYTHERIN!"

The table beside James erupted into loud screaming and applause and James had to physically restrain his friend when he spotted Snape leaning over and introducing himself to the newly sorted Regulus.

"Leave it mate, we'll have a word with Regulus later," hissed James.

"I'll get Snivellus later," replied Sirius through gritted teeth, "He isn't sucking my brother into the Slytherin ways, I won't let him!"

"It's just a house Sirius, I'm sure Regulus can look after himself," reasoned Remus.

Sirius glared at his friend, "You dont understand, you dont know what they're like! Regulus is too young to know, he'll follow Narcissa and the rest of the family...I can't let that happen!"

Remus looked slightly taken aback at the sharpness in his tone, and leant over to James.

"I leave him to you then."

James nodded, and spent the rest of the feast trying to convince Sirius everything would be fine. Sirius however, had quite a knack for moodiness, and refused to speak to anyone for the rest of the feast.

A few seats down the Gryffindor table, Lily was still fuming about her latest argument with James.

"I mean, who does he think he is! He such an arrogant little boy!" her face was screwed up in her anger, her vibrant red hair making it look like her hair was on fire.

"Lils, all he said was that he was confident he'd make the team," reasoned Holly.

"Yeah," piped up Chris, "I don't think he meant it as a bad thing."

"It's just confidence," added Bridget.

Lily ignored her three friends, and stabbed moodily at her chicken, "I don't care, he's so smug all of the time. And I saw him and Sirius glaring at Sev before, I just know they're up to something."

Holly fought the blush she knew was creeping up her face, and turned her attention to her dinner, hoping against hope no one noticed.

~**~

After dinner, the Gryffindor second years dragged tired legs up to their dormitories. They had kept the same rooms, however the small plaques on the front doors now read 'Second Years'. For the students of Hogwarts, coming back to their second homes was a joyous occasion. And for the second years, no longer being the new students made them feel alot more at home. Because it was their home. Their home.

James watched Sirius warily as the four boys got ready for bed. He'd been in a mood ever since the sorting, and was still refusing to speak to anyone.

"Sirius mate...you alright?" he asked tentatively. Remus and Peter stopped fishing around for their pyjamas, and turned to face James and Sirius.

Sirius exhaled loudly, and picked up his lamp, hurling it across the room.

"Whoa," James jumped back as Sirius grabbed James's bedside lamp and tossed it against the nearest wall.

"WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE HIM!? HE'S TOO YOUNG TO EVEN REALISE! THEY'LL TURN HIM LIKE BELLA...AND NARCISSA!"

Sirius kicked his trunk in a rage, cursing loudly as the pain shot through his foot. James bit his lip, and then slowly moved towards Sirius. He sighed, and pulled his friend into an embrace. Sirius stiffened for a moment, then seemed to calm. James patted his friends back, not feeling awkward in the slightest.

"Mate, if Regulus is anything like you, which I think he is, he'll be fine...we won't let them suck him in, we look after each other, right?"

Sirius pulled back, and nodded. James saw his eyes sparkling with unshed tears, but said nothing. Remus and Peter smiled at each other, realising just how close they actually were.

"We're best mates right?" started Remus, "We look after each other," he echoed James's earlier statement. Sirius nodded again, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"Now," said James, clapping his hands together, "Who remembers how to repair things?"

Sirius gave a watery chuckle, and whipped out his wand.

Before he fell asleep, Remus reflected upon the earlier events. James had come to Sirius's aid as soon as he needed him. He really did have the best friends ever. He didn't even tease Sirius for reacting the way he did. Guilt began to take hold of him when he thought of his own problems and secrets. Would they be there for him if he told them? Would they help him through it?

No. No, this is way bigger than somebody's brother being sorted into a different house. He was a monster...nobody wants to be friends with a monster.

* * *

_Any good? Load of rubbish? Let me know :)_


	10. Quidditch Practice and Idiotic Boys!

_A/N: Chapter ten is here! Thank you so much for all of the wonderful review's I've recieved, it really warms my heart to see you all enjoying and sticking with the story!_

_review responses:_

_**000kayko000: **Thank you :D I'm glad you liked it. Well, I always thought that because Regulus turned back to the goodside, he must have a some good in him at some point, and I thought it would be a nice twist to have the doted upon Regulus to idolize his disowned older brother, I get the feeling he and Sirius were once close, as most brothers are when they're young. It's really cool that you like my potrayal of him aswell, I had a big grin on my face when I read that :D. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and also sticking with the story. It means alot. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!_

_**evershort:** It's fine that you didn't review the other day, just having readers is enough to keep me chirpy :D I'm glad you liked it, I was excited for second year too haha. Romancey stuff, well, they're still a little young, but I can say that a few crushes will pop up in this year, and of course, third year is Hogsmeade year, so there'll most likely be a few dates (this is a romance story, after all) so you won't have to wait long. I did have a few couples planned, but two of them have completely changed! Just goes to show even I don't know whats gonna happen half the time! Thanks for continuing to read and review the story, please enjoy the next chapter too!_

_**quirky-as-alice:** I know, she's really awful! She may not have been a Death Eater, but she was still a complete snob! Sirius will get his happiness soon, I promise, but I can never resist a little angst haha. Well, in the books, it said the Marauders discovered Remus' condition in second year, and I can officially tell you have just completed the scene where they find out :D it was brilliant to write! So, it'll be coming up very very soon :D Thanks for reading and reviewing once again, and I hope you like this next chapter!_

_**splatteredpaint: **Haha! It's coming, don't worry. Very, very soon ;) as I said above, I've written the scene, and I'm really excited to see what you all think! Yeah, I liked Regulus, sure he was a Death Eater, but like Snape, he risked (and unfortunately lost) his life for the greater good, and I wanted to show him as a good kid, before he turns to the dark side (Star Wars? Anyone?). I always imagined James and Sirius being close right from the start, they were brothers in almost every sense, after all. I know, at this age, it's only confidence, however I think he leant towards arrogance more as he got older, and that can only infuriate Lily more, right? He's in for a hard time from our fiery red head, I can tell you now! Yay! I'm glad you like the pairing! There's a lot in store for those two, some of which may suprise you! I hope, haha. Anyway, thank you for reading and leaving your wonderfully detailed reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too!_

_**pensieve1392:** Hi there, and welcome to my story :D I know, I'm so interested in the Marauders story, it's something I've wanted to write for a long time! You know, you're english is very good! If I'm honest, it's better than some people's I've seen who actually speak english as their first language (one of my friends is absolutely terrible, bless him). The best? Wow, thank you so much, that means alot to me. There are some really good fics on here though, I particularly recomend the fics I have on my favourite stories list. I don't know if I'm allowed to give out the title, but just pop over to my profile page and have a look :) Wow! No ones ever said I could be a published writer before! It's my absolute dream! I'm hoping an idea will come to me soon, I've had ideas before, but they've always been rather scattered, you know. Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope you like whats to come too!_

_To everyone, have a wonderful weekend, and if anyones going out, don't get too drunk now ;)_

_Disclaimer: Not mine, not at all...Lord I wish it was, but J.K Rowling owns it...lucky sod!_

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Ten**_

**_Quidditch Practice and Idiotic Boys!_**

The next morning, James awoke early to check the bulletin board in the common room. He knew Quidditch tryouts were usually held in the second week of term, and was determined to make the team.

He spotted Holly at the board already, a small smile spreading across her face.

"Morning," he greeted, scanning the board.

"Morning, have a look at this," she pointed to a small notice in the middle of the board.

"This is great, two chaser positions are open...and a beater and seeker, I wonder if Sirius has seen it?"

James glanced sideways and saw a slight reddening in Holly's cheeks. That was odd...and definitely new.

"Do you know if anyone else is trying out?" James asked, still eyeing Holly strangely. Holly seemed to be avoiding his gaze, but shook her head.

"Chris was deliberating, but I reckon she's happier ogling the boys from the stands."

James laughed, and decided to let whatever had caused the pinkish tinge in his cousins cheeks slide. He was sure it would come up sooner or later, anyway.

"Come on, I wanna see what we've got first this year," Holly grabbed James' arm and dragged him across the common room and through the portrait whole.

"You know, I think this is the first time we've ever walked to breakfast just the two of us," James mused as the two made their way down the first flight of stairs (luckily, they weren't changing that morning, so it seemed).

Holly chuckled, "I know, hard to believe we were once inseparable," she clasped her hands in front of her, and shot James a sly look, "So, are we still obsessed with Lily-kins this year?"

James rolled his eyes and shoved Holly in the shoulder, "Sod off, I've never been obsessed with her," James was well aware he was now mimicking his cousins earlier pink flush. He wasn't obsessed with her, though if truth be told, he'd found himself randomly thinking about her over the summer.

Holly gave a derisive snort, and shook her head lightly, "Right, and I own a pair of authentic Merlin underpants, care to share anymore blatant lies?"

Holly could really annoy James when she wanted to, he supposed it was simply because she was family, and he knew his mum would murder him if he so much as even thought about hexing her.

"I'm not obsessed, I'm just confused as to why she always has a go at me, is all," he stated simply. Holly turned a corner and led James down another flight of stairs, tapping her chin as she thought of what to say next.

"To be perfectly honest, you have the worst timing in the world. I mean, it's no secret Lily and her sister don't get along, and you always seem to come out with your oh so entertaining quips right when we've just been discussing the wonderful Petunia," she glanced at James, who seemed utterly perplexed, "Or maybe it's the fact that whenever you see her best mate in the corridor, you feel the need to hassle or hex him...but it's just a guess..." Holly trailed off, and smiled sweetly.

James pulled a face, "You sound just like Remus. Why does she even like Snivelly?! I still can't get my head around it!"

Holly stopped suddenly, and spun around to face James.

"The same could be said for you hanging around with Black," the blush returned, "He's an arrogant little so and so, but you don't hear me having a go!"

James quirked an eyebrow, "Why did you go red when you said Sirius' name?"

Now, James, clearly, was a boy. And Holly knew as such, that boys at her age had little understanding on the concept of certain things. Shaking her head in disbelief, though not entirely grateful that her cousin was rather dim when it came to certain subjects, Holly merely shot him an annoyed look and started walking again.

"What?" called James, utterly dumbfounded, "What did I do now?"

~**~

The first day back was much like the previous year, save for the fact everyone knew where they were going, and James and the boys couldn't use the excuse of 'getting lost' to get out of some of the less appealing classes (History of Magic). Nothing had changed, really, except they were no longer the youngest in the school, a thought which gave James and Sirius, in particular, a sense of authority; but that could have just been their ever growing ego's, mind.

The first lesson of the year was Herbology; one of the lessons James didn't particularly mind, but found could be rather monotonous. That was, until the boys got there, and found the class entering a certain greenhouse.

"Greenhouse three today, lads!" the squat Professor Sprout called as she spotted the four Gryffindors hurrying across the lawn towards the greenhouses (Peter had forgotten his books, as was customary every morning).

Professor Sprout was a nice enough teacher, a little strange in her fondness of plants, Sirius swore blind he caught her talking to a flutterby bush when he was assigned a detention with her. She was often seen with smears of dragon dung fertiliser on her robes, hair, and face, which wasn't the prettiest of sights. Her flyaway hair made her look rather mad, much like the woman, Arabella Figg, James was sure she was called, who sometimes attended his parent's new year party.

"Three?" Sirius' eyes lit up at the mention of greenhouse three; everyone knew that was where the dangerous plants were kept, "Did she say three?"

James nodded excitedly, hoisting his bag higher up on his shoulder, "Brilliant! Do you even _know_ what they keep in there?!"

Sirius seemed to be shaking with excitement; it was an amusing sight, especially to Remus. Peter just seemed to bounce around excitedly all the time anyway.

When the boys entered, the class, which comprised of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, were already seated at the long benches. The boys took seats next to Aiden McKinnon and Donald Cobbett, the boys James had met on his first day on the train.

"Alright, Potter!" Aiden called, his blue eyes twinkling merrily. Whilst they were in different houses, James and Aiden still got on fairly well, and the pair had even shared a detention or two together; apparently, Aiden had a fondness for cheekiness to the Professors too.

"Hi Aiden, have a good summer?" James asked, taking a seat beside the boy.

Aiden nodded, "Good enough, went to a few Falcons games, dad managed to score some tickets from his mate at work."

"Falcons," James snorted, "Am I the only one who actually realises Puddlemere are the best team to have ever flown?"

"Probably," Sirius grinned, leaning past James to greet Aiden and Donald, "Wasp's are far better than any of your second league teams."

"Second league," Donald jerked his head towards Sirius with a playful grin, "Reckons he's a right old fanatic, doesn't he?"

The three boys laughed as Sirius scowled; the Wasp's were Sirius one true love, so it seemed.

The table fell silent as Professor Sprout began to speak, the excitement of being in greenhouse three returning.

"Welcome to greenhouse three!" the stout woman began, dusting a little fertiliser from her hands, "I'll ask you only once to keep your hands to yourself, if you get bitten it's your own fault," several students looked around uneasily, Peter included, "Now, I want you all to first come up and collect a pair of ear muffs," she pointed to a box of mismatched earmuffs (the majority, fluffy pink), and the class quickly scrambled for a pair of the more tasteful kind. James, and most of the boys managed to acquire black and grey, Peter and Sirius, Sirius by choice, for some odd reason, were stuck with pink.

"Suit's you," James remarked, causing Sirius to grin. The dark haired boy turned to Remus, and pouted a little.

"What d'ya reckon Lupin? Is pink my colour?"

Remus' mouth curled upward, "Get a matching pair of gloves and scarf, and we may be onto something".

The boys laughed heartily, ignoring the disapproving looks from several girls in the class. Normally, Remus would have merely smiled, but slowly, the boy was coming out of his shell, much to James' happiness.

"Alright, that's enough!" Professor Sprout waved her wand slightly, "Ear muffs on, and we'll see what we're working with today."

The class quickly put their earmuffs on, eager to see what wonders greenhouse three would hold. They waited as Professor Sprout pulled down a curtain blocking the front of the classroom, revealing rows of small orange pots, each with a little tuft of green leaves poking out. Sprout signalled for the class to watch her, and picked up a pot. She set it on the nearest desk to her, and pulled out probably the ugliest thing James had ever seen.

Whatever kind of plant it was, it looked like an extremely angry baby. What appeared to be the roots, had two arms, two legs, and a gnarled face, which would have been screaming, had James not been wearing the earmuffs. The class watched Professor Sprout take a bigger pot, fill it with a few scoops of dragon fertiliser, stuff the ugly plant into the pot, then fill the rest of the pot to the top. A few moments later, she removed her earmuffs, and the students followed suit.

"Now," Sprout clapped her dirty hands together, "Can anyone tell me what this plant it called?"

Lily's hand shot into the air. She remembered reading about these in one of her books the year before.

"Miss Evans, yes?" Sprout nodded.

"Those are Mandrakes, Professor, or Mandagora," Lily said promptly, earning ten points to Gryffindor. Beside James, Sirius mimicked Lily's expression as she answered the question, causing James to snort rather loudly. Luckily, neither Lily nor Sprout noticed.

"Yes, yes, and can anyone tell me why Mandrakes are used?"

Again, Lily's hand shot into the air, much to the delight of Sprout.

"They are used to reawaken those who have been magically placed in comas and such," Lily was clearly very pleased with herself, as a slight flush had crept into her cheeks as she spoke.

"Excellent Miss Evans, take another ten points," Sprout turned to the rest of the class, "Now, Mandrakes are particularly dangerous, can anyone tell me why?"

And once again, Lily's hand shot into the air, however this time, it was joined with another.

"Mr Pettigrew, yes?"

Peter flushed when the rest of the class turned to him expectantly. It was very rare for Peter to raise his hand in class, in fact, James couldn't remember a time when he'd done it at all.

"The...the cry of a Mandrake is f – f – fatal to anyone who hears it," his voice was barely above a whisper, but Sprout had clearly heard, as she began to grin.

"That's right Mr Pettigrew, take ten points, now..."

"Brilliant, Peter," James clapped a flushing Peter on the back, "Guess we've found our next Herbology Professor."

Peter blushed again, and mumbled something inaudible. James smiled at his friend; really, Peter didn't get half the praise he deserved.

The rest of the lesson was spent re-potting the Mandrakes, who were apparently fast approaching becoming toddlers. Because of the need to wear earmuffs, James didn't get a chance to talk, though he and Sirius did earn their first detentions of the year for throwing dragon compost at each other, some of which managed to hit their Professor when Remus ducked.

"Right, so it was Transfiguration last year, and Herbology this year," Sirius was saying as the four Gryffindor boys left the greenhouses, "What d'ya reckon next year'll be? Potions?"

"My money's on Defence," James answered, dusting a rather large clod of fertiliser off his pants, "Or maybe Charms."

"Naa, Flitwick's a softie," Sirius waved his hand, "What do you reckon, Lupin?"

Remus rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Next year I think it'll be on the train ride to school."

The four boys laughed as they crossed the lawn to the entrance of the school.

"Definitely, we should try for it!"

~**~

"Sirius! Hey, Sirius!"

James and the boys turned to see Regulus hurrying towards them, his bookbag swinging wildly from his shoulder and a look of pure excitement on his face. James liked Regulus, he was sweet and sort of reminded James of Sirius when he got excited over a prank...or a detention.

"Reg," Sirius grinned at his younger brother, though the other boys failed to miss the slight twitch in his jaw most likely attributed to the green and silver tie hanging from the younger boys neck.

"I had Charms!" Regulus began breathlessly, "And I made my feather fly! I really did it! My first try! Professor Flitwick even said it took you two tries!"

James, Remus and Peter snorted at this, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Alright Reg, calm that ego."

"Atleast we know who he gets it from," Remus muttered, eliciting quiet chuckles from James and Peter.

Regulus adopted a rather guilty look, and he shook his head quickly, "No! No, I didn't mean it like that, I just –"

Regulus was cut off by a laughing Sirius, who held up his hand quickly, "I was joking Reg, so you had a good first lesson?"

Regulus returned to his excited smile, and nodded quickly, "Brilliant, I'm so excited for my other lessons. I have potions next."

"Ahhh, Slughorn, good luck with that one," Sirius grinned cheekily, "Have you made any new friends?"

Regulus missed the harder tone of the last question, and shrugged shyly, "Well, this boy called Walaze Grover leant me a quill in the lesson, Timothy Crabbe accidently set mine on fire!"

Sirius merely nodded, "That's alright then," he replied through slightly gritted teeth, "We're going to the courtyard for break, wanna come along?"

Regulus nodded, and proceeded to tell the boys word for word what exactly had happened in his first lesson at Hogwarts.

~**~

After dinner that evening, the boys decided to head off to the Quidditch pitch so James and Sirius could practice for the tryouts. James was hoping for the position of chaser, whilst Sirius was hoping to be picked for beater. The day had passed rather uneventfully. Both James and Sirius had decided to be on their best behaviour since Herbology until tryouts were over, just in case they received a detention on the night of the tryouts. Luckily, the Herbology detention fell on the night before the try outs. The teachers who knew their mischievous ways had been rather shocked, but quickly realised this was probably only a temporary decision after hearing the boys discuss the tryouts.

Lily hadn't shouted at James at all today, but had rather decided to just completely ignore him. James had thought alot over the summer, and had decided that maybe there was a slight possibility he fancied Lily Evans, especially after what his cousin had said that morning. He'd contemplated telling the boys, but decided against it, no doubt he'd be teased mercilessly if he did.

Once they reached the Quidditch pitch, James spotted several small dots zooming around in the air. It seemed more than one person had decided to train tonight. He scanned the edge of the pitch, and spotted Lily chatting away to Chris and Bridget. His stomach twisted a little, and he nudged Sirius.

"Look," he hissed, "Lily's here!"

"This is it mate, woo her with your Quidditch skills," joked Sirius. James however didn't take it as a joke, and thought it was the perfect plan.

James and Sirius kicked off into the air, and began racing around the pitch. James spotted Holly and a couple of other people tossing the Quaffle to each other, and flew over, whilst Sirius sped off to release a bludger. Madam Hooch, who was overseeing the practices waved at James happily, clearly content that he was indeed trying out this year.

"Over here Knight!" James called.

Holly turned and grinned evilly. She tossed the Quaffle as hard as she could, but James managed to catch it.

"Come on cuz, you'll have to do better than that!"

Holly rolled her eyes and sped off to do some laps of the pitch, whilst James raced towards the goal hoops. He launched the ball and scored straight through the middle hoop. He jerked his head sideways when he heard girls cheering. James grinned stupidly, always one for attention, and did a couple of loop de loops for good measure.

At the edge of the pitch, Lily snorted in disgust.

"Look at him, showing off like that, what an idiot!"

Chris chuckled, and jerked her head towards the gaggle of cheering girls, "They dont seem to think so...Sirius looks really good on a broom".

Lily and Bridget shrieked with laughter, and Bridget pushed her friend, "Chris you're such a prat."

Chris shrugged, "I can't help it, I love boys!"

Lily and Bridget continued to giggle, and Lily turned her attention back to the practising Quidditch players. Holly was very good on a broom, and though she hated to admit it, so was James. That didn't mean she liked him, though, and she'd certainly never admit it.

Madam Hooch called the practice to an end, and the would-be Quidditch players landed, talking excitedly about the upcoming tryouts for each house. To Lily's annoyance, Holly wandered over with James and his friends in tow.

"Go on, ask her! I saw her smiling when you scored," hissed Sirius. Holly frowned, and turned to Remus.

"Ask her what?"

Remus shrugged, "No idea, but I think we wanna see this."

Holly and Peter nodded, and hurried after James and Sirius.

James reached Lily, Bridget and Chris, his hand flying to his hair. Apparently, (or from what James had read in Holly's magazine), witches loved the 'just off the broom' look. Not that he needed it right now, since he _was _just off a broom, but James wasn't the brightest of boys when it came to Lily Evans. Lily merely eyed him with barely concealed annoyance.

"So...umm...Lily?"

Lily's frown deepened, "What?"

"I saw you watching me...you seemed pretty impressed...uhh....wanna go out with me?" he asked without preamble.

Holly, who had been taking a drink of water, sprayed it all over and began choking. Remus clapped her on the back whilst staring at James incredulously. Peter winced at the words as though they hurt. Sirius watched with an idiotic grin and Chris and Bridget gaped at James as though he'd grown an extra head.

Lily looked simply furious.

"Are you serious Potter?"

"No, I am," grinned Sirius. Remus slapped him upside the head, and dragged him away from James.

"You're an idiot," he mumbled, whilst Sirius eyed him in confusion.

"Yeah," said James as though it were obvious. Really, he'd read all about it. If you liked a girl, you asked her out. Surely she understood that.

Lily shrieked with mocking laughter, and turned to Bridget.

"He actually thinks I was watching _him_!"

"Lily," Bridget warned, glancing uneasily at James's slowly disappearing smile.

"My god Potter, I thought you were smart? I can't believe you think I'd even consider going out with you! You brainless creep! Just get out of my sight!"

She turned on her heel and stormed back towards the castle.

"Oh bloody hell James, you've really done it now," sighed Chris, hurrying after her friend. Holly and Bridget looked at James in a mixture of annoyance and pity, and followed their friends.

James turned to Sirius shaking his head.

"I dont understand...why won't she go out with me?"

Sirius shrugged, "Got me, I thought for sure that would do it."

"You two are unbelievable, I dont even have any sympathy for you," snapped Remus, "And you," he rounded on Sirius, "Please refrain from giving him advice about girls."

James mouthed wordlessly at Remus. He seemed to be in shock.

"I can't believe she called me a creep! She hangs around with people like Snivellus and calls _me_ a creep! She...she's such a..."

"Bitch?" offered Sirius, earning him another smack from Remus.

"Come on, back up to the castle, and I suggest you keep out of Lily's way."

James nodded sadly, and followed his friends. Okay, so maybe he had been a little forward with Lily, but that didn't mean he was a creep. Though, rather than put him off, Lily's response only made him more determined. He'd make her see he was a good guy. He had to. He really _really_ liked her.

~**~

Lily burst into the girls dormitory, her hands flinging wildly in the air and her eyes glinting maliciously. Behind her, Holly, Bridget and Chris stepped into the room quietly, and shut the door.

"Can you honestly believe him!? The first day back and he thinks I'd go out with him! Merlin, what an idiot!"

Lily turned to her friends, and was surprised to see frowns on their faces.

"What?"

Holly chewed her lip, and looked rather angry.

"You didn't have to be so mean, Lils. You shouldn't have called him a creep. Yes, he's an idiot, but really, what harm was he doing?"

Lily opened her mouth to respond, but strangely found she had nothing to respond with. She snapped it shut, and glanced away.

"James is a strange one, we get that," Bridget started, "And we know you don't get on, and you think he'd big headed...well...he _is_ big headed, but maybe you should lay off him a little."

"It was Sirius' idea, after all," piped up Chris. Lily looked sheepishly from one friend to another, annoyed that she was feeling guilty all of a sudden. Alright, so maybe she had been a little too harsh. But wasn't it better that way? Get the point to him straight away, rather than drag it on. At least now he knew not to continue trying to get her, or whatever.

"Alright," Lily ran a hand through her auburn locks, "Maybe that was a little mean. I can't help it! He just makes me so angry! I can't explain it!" she fell back onto her bed, huffily crossing her arms over her chest.

Holly chuckled, and sat down beside her.

"It's alright, we all get like that sometimes. But maybe, next time, try not to be so...harsh?"

Lily mock glared at her friend, but nodded all the same.

"Alright, but if he gives me good reason to, I swear I'll throttle him!"

The girls laughed, and all jumped onto Lily's bed. Lily's temper could be a little over the top sometimes, but by Merlin they loved her still.

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_Like it? Don't like it? Not really bothered? Don't have a clue what I'm rambling on about? Whichever it is, let me know :)_

_p.s. I love Mandrakes! _

_p.s.s. The part with Lily and James was inspired by watching a friend of mine attempt to woo a young lady...the results were hilarious!_


	11. Drama Filled Lives

_A/N: I am sooooo sorry I didn't update yesterday! I wasn't feeling very well, and I didn't even have enough energy to type! I made sure this post was extra long to make up for it. Hope you all like it, and again, I'm really sorry!_

_review responses:_

_**carol:** Thank you! I'm really glad you liked it :D Hope you keep enjoying it and like the next chapter too :)_

_**000kayko000:** Yeah, but when I read OOTP and saw the argument between James and Lily, I always thought that was quite harsh as well, though it was completely justified. I hope I'm not making Lily out to be too much of a bitch mind, but I just imagined that James, to her, was one of those people that make you inexplicably angry, you know? Thank you once again for reading and reviewing, please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**appleeater123:** Thanks, it was a lot of fun to write :) thanks for reading and reviewing as always, and I hope you like this next chapter too :)_

_**quirky-as-alice:** I take it you liked the last chapter XD, good! Well, J.K said James was a chaser, so in my story he'll be a chaser too, I think they only said he was a seeker in the movies to make some sort of connection to Harry. Anyway, thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter too :)_

_**Fairywolf:** Oh it's completely fine, you don't have to review every chapter, you've stuck with this since the start, and just knowing I have readers is enough :D Wow! That review blew me away! I'd love to be a professional, it's just coming up with an idea, really. Maybe someday, eh? Until then I can practice with fan fiction :) Of course, I'll have a dedication in the 'book' to all my fan fiction reviewers :D Now, onto Regulus. Well, as he's in Slytherin, and a different year to Sirius, he obviously won't be around a lot. But, the reason he hasn't been in for a few chapters will be revealled in the next chapter (I'll give you a hint, it has something to do with Snape ;)). Thank you, as always, for reading and reviewing, I hope you enjoy this chapter too :)_

_**splatteredpaint:** Haha I know, it's sweet to read cause no matter how angry I make her, we all know what'll happen in the end! And you were right in your preditction :D. I know, Quidditch is brilliant, when I was younger and the books first came out, I had the full HP costume and the broom, I was like nine and used to pretend I was flying around the house playing Quidditch. It was brilliant! Haha, I love moments like that, I'm saying all boys are idiots when it comes to matters of the heart, but the guys I know are so dense when it comes to girls, it's quite hard to watch sometimes haha. I'm really glad you liked it, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Thanks for reading and reviewing, it means a lot._

_**Geniia:** Thank you :) Here's the update, hope you like :D_

_**AiLi17:** Thanks, glad you liked it :) The Marauders are my favourite too. And it's okay, I welcome anything that can improve my writing, otherwise how can it be improved, eh? Anyway, I'm sorry if a few typo's have slipped through, I really do try to make sure spelling and grammar is right, I promise I'll try harder :) Well, I British, and over here, realise is spelt with an 's', not a 'z'. I know there are a lot of english words spelt differently in America, I hope that's alright. And I went through and made sure all my 'alots' were changed to 'a lots' :D Thanks for reading, reviewing, and helping me improve my writing of course, hope you enjoy this chapter._

_**Bookworm315:** Thanks! I hope you like this next chapter, and upcoming chapters :D_

_**neive lillrose: **Thank you :D I'm glad you liked that part! Thanks for reading and reviewing, I hope you enjoy this next chapter and all future chapters. See you at the end of the story, lol. _

_**pensieve1392:** Oh it's fine, you do have good english :) glad I could make you smile. Yeah, Sirius had such a hard life, but I like to think when he was younger he was happy, and for me, the guy deserves a little love...but not just yet ;). I'm glad you like Holly too, OC's are hard, because there's always the Mary Sue cloud hanging over you when you're writing them, I tried hard with all of my characters to make them as believable as possible. I know, he almost seems too sweet to turn, but he does unfortunately, that is inevitable...but yeah, he turns back, so in the end he did the right thing :). Haha, I know James is young but I just couldn't wait to have a bit of romance in the story, you know? Thank you for reading and reviewing, I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you like this next one too :)_

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own HP, unfortunately. Kinda wish I owned Gary Oldman, but we'll not get into too much detail about that :D_

_Another A/N: Dear God I'm so excited for this chapter. There's a part of it where...well...damn I want to tell so bad!!!! Sorry, I just had to say something *smiles sheepishly*_

_

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Eleven**_

**_Drama Filled Lives_**

All too soon, the Quidditch tryouts were upon James. He'd tried his best to behave, and had only lost twenty points for Gryffindor after he and Sirius decided it would be fun to mess with Snape's Hair-Raising potion, causing all those around him to inhale the bright blue fumes emitting from his cauldron to lose their hair. Unfortunately, Lily, who was Snape's potions partner, was affected, and rather heated shouting match ensued in the common room after the lesson.

James and Sirius entered the Quidditch changing rooms, realising they had gotten there too early.

"What should we do?" asked Sirius, putting down his broom and beaters bat and turning to face James.

James pondered for a moment a slow grin spreading across his face.

"Let's fly."

Sirius's eyes brightened, and he jumped to his feet.

"You're on Potter; I still haven't forgotten that time you drew on my head!"

James chuckled at the memory and the two friends made their way outside and onto the Quidditch pitch.

After half an hour of dive bombing each other and racing around the pitch, James spotted Jonny and his team, along with the others who were trying out make their way onto the pitch. He called to Sirius, and the two touched down expertly and hurried back to the changing rooms. James wasn't surprised to see only people trying out for the team present; Jonny made it strictly clear that there were to be no onlookers. As much as he loved his cousin, when it came to Quidditch, Jonny was a completely different person; quite a formidable person, if truth be told.

Jonny and his fellow team members disappeared into the captain's office to discuss how they would go about finding their new team members, leaving those trying out to their own devices in the changing room. A surprising number of Gryffindors had chosen to try out, and James recognised many of them from the groups of girls who were supposed members of the Potter/Black fan club. For some strange reason, James had noticed a lot of girls had joined said club (unofficially, it wasn't a real club, just what Lily and her friends called the collective grouping). He wondered if they were only there because James and Sirius were too, since Jennifer and Georgia, the Gryffindor third years whom James had often spotted giggling and pointing at he and Sirius, were also there, and he knew they weren't exactly the 'sporty' type.

James spotted Holly chatting to a couple of fourth years, and waved her over.

"Hey Holl's, nervous?" he smirked.

Holly rolled her eyes, "You wish, come on James you know how good I am."

"And they say _we're_ big headed," sniggered Sirius. Holly felt a flush creep up her face, and the strange swooping sensation she'd felt on the train returned. James noticed too, frowned. Sirius seemed oblivious to the entire thing.

After about ten minutes, Jonny and the remaining team returned and asked those trying out to follow him outside. Currently, there were four spaces available, two chaser positions, a beater and a seeker. The only members on the team remaining were Jonny, who was this year's captain and played keeper, Geoffrey Michaels, a burly fourth year who played beater, and Jessica Brown, who was in third year and played chaser.

"Right, Jonny clapped his hands together, "Now we have four openings, two for chasers, one beater and a seeker, so if I can have my chasers on the left, beaters in the middle and seekers on the right."

The gaggle of students broke into groups, and James noticed the giggling girls who were trying out either went to the chaser or beater groups. Jonny glanced at the groups, and frowned, "Also, can anyone who _isn't_ in Gryffindor please leave, I know I'm good looking but you're really no use to my team."

James and Sirius roared with laughter as several disgruntled girls mumbled and groaned and stalked off the pitch. Jonny shook his head and smiled, "Honestly, what idiots...right, we'll try my chasers first," he turned to the petite girl with mousy brown hair on his left, "This is Jessica Brown, chaser extraordinaire," Jess rolled her eyes, "I want you lot in the air and we'll try some passing exercises, then you'll all have to try and get past me. Seekers and beaters, you guys wait here until I call your group."

Sirius gave James a thumbs up, and retreated to the edge of the pitch where he began chatting with the blushing third year girls who had chosen his group. James glanced at Holly, who was staring at the ground, and frowning. Finally it hit him, and he was rather annoyed he hadn't seen it before. Holly liked Sirius...this could be a problem. James shook his head, deciding he'd deal with it later, and focused on getting through the tryouts.

There were six people trying out for the chaser positions; James, Holly, Georgia, two third year boys and a fourth year girl. They rose into the air and began passing the Quaffle around the circle they'd made. Georgia was terrible, and kept dropping the ball every time it was thrown to her. The fourth year girl was a little better; however nerves seemed to be holding her back. One of the third years, Jake, only seemed to be there to mess around, and had even tried flirting with a rather annoyed Holly. James, Holly and the other third year boy, Max, caught the Quaffle every time, and seemed to be the most promising.

When it came to trying to score, James surpassed the entire group. He was naturally talented at Quidditch; it ran in the family really. He managed to score every single time, much to the delight of Jonny. Holly did equally as well, however missed the last goal when she and Jonny began the usual bickering siblings usually par take in. Max managed three out of five goals, the female fourth year managed three too. Jake, the third who had been messing around had flown off to chat up some of the beaters trying out, and wasn't called back. Jonny had a pretty good idea who he wanted to choose, but he still wanted to have a think about it.

The beaters were next, and there were five trying out for the position. Sirius, Jennifer the third year, and three other third year girls. It was an easy contest; Sirius was the only person who even knew how to hold the bat properly. Jonny got rather angry during the try out for the beaters and told the girls there and then that Sirius had the position and they might as well 'bugger off'. Sirius, of course, was thrilled, and made quite a spectacle of himself by throwing his arms around Jonny (whom he'd become good friends with last year) and pretended to cry. After calming his laughing team members down, Jonny called the seekers into the air, and one by one released the snitch for them to find, whilst he had Sirius and Geoffrey handle a bludger.

Only two people tried out for the seeker position, Kelly Fredrics, a pretty blonde third year, and Elaine Wilder, a red haired fourth year. Kelly caught the snitch within thirty seconds after spectacularly avoiding a well placed bludger by Sirius, resulting in a speechless Jonny, who had to be slapped by Jess to bring him back to reality. Elaine caught the snitch after five minutes, and was almost knocked off her broom by a bludger. There wasn't really a contest here.

The team landed, and Jonny ushered them back into the changing room.

"Right, I'll post the list up tomorrow morning, so make sure your up bright and early. Those I've picked will then come and find me at breakfast and I'll give you the training schedule, now off with you!" he waved his hands dramatically, and took Jess and Geoffrey back into the office to discuss his choices.

"Well, how did you think it went?" asked James, as he, Sirius and Holly made their way back to the castle.

"I think I'm in," grinned Sirius, earning himself a punch in the arm from James.

Holly shrugged, "I think I did okay, if it wasn't for Jonny towards the end I'd have made it."

"Well I thought you were brilliant," Sirius winked at her and flashed his most charming grin. Holly blushed furiously, and mumbled something about not being that good. James allowed himself a small smirk, but otherwise, said nothing.

After bidding Holly goodnight, James and Sirius burst into their dormitory loudly, much to the annoyance of Remus.

"Guy's I'm trying to read here," said Remus irritably. James chuckled, and clapped his friend on the back.

"Sorry mate, won't happen again."

Remus swatted him away with a smile on his face, and continued reading his book.

"How were the tryouts?" asked Peter excitedly.

"I've basically already made the team," said Sirius as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, "And I'm pretty sure James and Holly have made it too."

James nodded, and then turned to Sirius," Which reminds me, stop flirting with my cousin."

Remus and Peter sniggered at the look on Sirius's face.

"Mate I haven't been flirting with her," he said defensively, "You said last year she's off limits, like Lily."

James shook his head, "Well you must have done something, I think she likes you."

Sirius's eyes brightened and a large grin split his face, "Really, well maybe I'm just_ that_ irresistible." James snorted, and threw a pillow at Sirius, "I'm serious mate, stop it, I know what you're like."

Sirius frowned, "What do you mean 'you know what I'm like'?"

James shrugged, "I dunno, no offence mate, but you just seem like the love em' and leave em' type. Holly's too young for stuff like that...just...I dunno, try and let her down gently."

Sirius turned to Remus, who was silently nodding, "You think the same, dont you?"

"Well, you're always flirting with your little fan club, and as soon as someone new joins you ditch the old ones and move on, and the girls have only been interested for two weeks!"

Sirius feigned a look of hurt, "I can't believe I'm that transparent...so much for being the mysterious 'oh so handsome' member of the group."

James, Remus and Peter burst into fits of laughter.

"Seriously though," said James, wiping a tear from his eye, "Just, I dunno, go out with one of your fans so she gets the message. She's pretty stubborn, I think that'll be the only thing to put her off."

Sirius waved his hand in understanding, "Say no more, I'll date as many girls as I can if it'll make you happy."

"I think I've created a monster," chuckled James, causing them all to fall into bouts of laughter once again.

~**~

Holly hurriedly dressed the next morning, stubbing her toe as she raced from the room. She spotted James and Sirius already at the notice board, and hobbled over to them.

James frowned, "What's wrong with you?"

"Stubbed my toe," she grumbled. She glanced up at the list nervously.

_**Seeker**_

_Kelly 'she's taken my heart' Fredrics_

_**Beater**_

_Sirius Black (shock horror)_

_**Chaser**_

_James 'the Lion' Potter_

_Jolly Holly Knight_

_Sorry to all those who didn't make it, maybe next year yeah?_

_Those who did, get your arses down to the Great Hall...NOW!_

_Lots of love and hugs and kisses, Jonny._

_Quidditch Captain and all round hero._

"My brother is a complete weirdo, but congratulations to us all," beamed Holly, hugging James. She turned to hug Sirius, but stopped herself just in time, blushing furiously. This time Sirius noticed, and a stupid grin crossed his face...James found it rather amusing, and yet annoying that his cousin (who was still seen as the baby of the family) could possibly have a crush on his best mate. He'd always though they were far too young for things like that, but then again, he'd admitted to himself he liked Lily (he still hadn't told the others) and Sirius often enjoyed the odd flirt with the hoards of admirers he had so suddenly gained.

Remus said on more than one occasion that James had his fair share of fans too. James had no idea where they had come from, if he was honest, last year the 'Potter/Black' fan club had mostly been people who thought they were funny. Now it was girls! He was growing up far too fast...not that he minded the attention, of course.

"I love Jonny, though I can see there being a bit of an uproar about this," reasoned James after a moments reflection.

"What do you mean?" asked Holly as the three headed towards the portrait hole.

"Well, his sister, his cousin _and_ his cousin's best mate all chosen, think about it."

"Hmm...that could cause a problem, but I think he picked the best people," reasoned Holly. She glanced at Sirius to see his reaction; however he was looking at a group of second year Ravenclaws.

"You know, Cleo Carmen is really quite good looking," he mused, winking at a small, curly blonde haired girl. He'd found winking seemed to be the best trick to get the girls smiling. Cleo waved back, and then began chatting excitedly with her friends. James glanced at Sirius, and nodded. He turned to look at Holly, who had an indescribable look on her face.

"I'm going to find the girls," she mumbled, before turning on her heel and racing back to the common room. James bit his lip, but knew it was for the best. Holly was too young to be worrying about boys, especially boys like Sirius Black.

"I think it worked," he grinned. Sirius matched his smile, but suddenly felt a little sad. Maybe he shouldn't have been so abrupt about it.

~**~

Holly gave the password (Flobberworm) to the fat lady, and came face to face with Chris, Bridget and Lily who were about to climb through.

"What's wrong?" asked Lily, noticing the sad expression on Holly's face.

"Black, he's going to ask out Cleo Carmen," she spat Cleo's name as if they were poison. Lily sighed, she'd had a small inkling about Holly's feelings for Sirius, and hugged her friend, "Oh sweetie, don't worry about it, you can do so much better than Sirius Black."

"She's right, there's a ton of guys who'd wanna go out with you!" assured Chris.

"And anyway, you're far too young to be worrying about boys," reasoned Bridget. Holly nodded, and forced a smile to her face.

"You're right, what was I thinking. Sirius Black...HA! As if, come on, I have to go see Jonny."

"She got over that quickly," chuckled Chris, "Wait...why do you have to go and see Jonny?"

Holly turned to face her friends, and grinned, "You, my dear friends, are looking at the new Gryffindor chaser."

Lily, Chris and Bridget squealed with excitement and pulled their friend into a group hug.

The four friends entered the great hall laughing and joking with each other. They took seats not far from James and his friends, whilst Holly went to find Jonny.

"She seems to have gotten over that pretty quickly," chuckled James as he watched his cousin receive the Quidditch timetable and discuss her new appointment with her brother. Jonny had assured James and Sirius that no one would say anything about the fact that because they were related they would be on the team. Jonny was well like by the Gryffindors, and he was sure they'd trust his judgement on this one.

"Gotten over what?" asked Remus as he and Peter joined them at the table.

"Sirius said he was going to ask Cleo Carmen out in front of Holly so she'd stop liking him," explained James, "And it worked, she's back to her old self, I can't believe it was that easy."

Sirius however, was frowning, "Why did it take her so little time to get over me....I mean....this is _me_ we're talking about....I'm gorgeous!"

James, Remus and Peter glanced at each other, the burst out into laughter. Laughing seemed to be a common occurrence between these four friends.

"I think you should start saying stuff like that in front of Lily, then maybe she'd get off my back."

"She still not talking to you?" asked Remus.

"I caused the girl to go bald Remus, I'm lucky I'm still in one piece!"

"It was brilliant though," chuckled Sirius, "You know, she doesn't look too bad bald."

James punched Sirius in the arm and laughed, "Back off Black, she's mine."

~**~

The rest of that week passed in a haze of excitement for James. He'd already owled his parents about making the team, and would have his first meeting on Monday. During the week they had run into Sirius's brother Regulus, who was simply thrilled that his brother and James had made the team. Regulus would regularly sit with his brother and his friends during meals, much to Sirius's delight, and seemed to have made some okay friends. They hadn't seen him hanging around with Snape or Narcissa yet, though they knew it was just a matter of time.

James and Sirius met Holly in the common room on Monday after dinner, then made their way to the Charms room Jonny was using for the teams' first meeting of the year.

When they arrived, they found their team mates already there. Jonny and chaser Jessica Brown were standing next to the blackboard looking over a diagram of some sort of Quidditch formation. Geoffrey Michaels, the other beater, was chatting away to Kelly Fredrics, the new seeker.

Jonny turned to the doorway and grinned, beckoning his new team members over.

"Alright before we start, I'd like to say congratulations and welcome to our new members," Jonny, Jess and Geoffrey applauded the new members, and took their seats. James grinned at Sirius and Holly, feeling welcome already.

"Now I'd like to make a few comments on our new members, first off are our chasers, who as you probably have realised, got their talent from me."

The team chuckled, even James and Holly laughed.

"You two flew really well yesterday, and your tactics match Jess's, so you two were perfect for the team," continued Jonny, beaming. James and Holly both flushed as the team applauded them again.

"As for our beater, there really was no contest," he grinned at Sirius, "And even though I've been told _not_ to stoke his ego too much, you really were incredible mate, well done!"

Sirius stood up and took a bow, much to the annoyance of Holly.

"And finally, I think I speak for all of us when I say Miss Fredrics here blew us all away with her incredible catch at the tryouts, you were amazing Kelly."

Kelly blushed furiously, and smiled at her team mates. Sirius winked at her, and Holly felt her blood boil. He really was an insufferable little berk, even if he was handsome.

"Right, now that we've got that all sorted, lets press on. Our first match of the season is with the Slytherin's. I've seen their practices, and they have a strong team this year, so I'm afraid we'll be training alot," continued Jonny.

"Don't worry Jonny, this is our year," smiled Jess, "I can feel it!"

"We haven't won the cup since my first year on the team, but this year...Jess is right, I can already see we have a bloody good team...this year, we win it!"

The team cheered, and James felt himself falling in love with the team already.

After an hour and a half of preliminary introductions to the various formations they would be focusing on, Jonny reminded his new team their first training session would be on Wednesday, and shooed them away. James was extremely excited to begin training for the games. He knew Jonny would be an incredible captain; he was probably even more passionate about Quidditch than he was, and that was certainly saying something.

~**~

James and Sirius bade Holly goodnight, Sirius wincing at the coldness of her tone when she spoke to him. Although he and Holly had never specifically got on, they had been quite civil towards each other at the end of last year. He knew why it was, and couldn't help but feel guiltier each time he saw her icy glare directed at him. Holly wasn't a girl to be trifled with.

Meanwhile, James pondered his own relationship with the girl who was quickly becoming the only subject of his thoughts. Lily. He couldn't understand why she still hated him so much; he honestly didn't think he was a bad guy. Just because he had a little fan club, I mean, who would refuse attention like that? And just because he and Snape didn't get on...Lily didn't get on with James, that made her just as bad as him didn't it? He didn't know why he was still so hung up on her, there was just something about her, He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was...it was just...everything! Everything about her fascinated him, and drew him in even more. He loved her.

By god...he loved her.

When did it become this confusing, he thought. He couldn't love her; he was twelve for Pete's sake! But he did. James Potter loved Lily Evans...and he sincerely doubted he'd ever stop, not that he'd admit it to anyone. No, that was just a little _too_ weird, if truth be told.

As the two boys entered their dormitory, they spotted Remus and Peter sitting on Remus' bed discussing something. Peter had a serious look on his face, a look that didn't leave when James and Sirius made their presence known.

"Who died?" asked Sirius, flopping down on his bed and kicking off his shoes.

"Remus has to go and see his mum again," said Peter, shooting a disgusted look at Sirius. The colour drained from his face, and he shot up.

"Oh shit, Remus, I'm sorry mate, I didn't know..."

Remus waved his hand with a small smile, "It's alright, she's not on her death bed, dad just wants me to visit."

Sirius nodded, and relaxed back against his pillows. It was already pretty dark, and the moon was almost full. Quite a pretty sight, really.

Sirius blanched. Moon. Almost full. His head snapped towards Remus, his eyes wide with fear. No. No, that was too farfetched even for _his_ over active mind.

"Sirius, I said it's alright," said Remus laughing, noting the look of horror on his friend's face. Sirius forced a nervous chuckled, and turned his head, avoiding looking out of the window. He cast his mind back to his astronomy lessons last year, and tried to remember when the full moon had been. Of course it was impossible to remember when Remus had gone last year, so he tried to remember any holidays Remus had missed.

He remembered Halloween; he'd looked a little peaky then. And when they returned from Christmas he'd looked exceptionally pale.

"James, can I borrow your invisibility cloak?"

James looked up from the book Remus was showing him, and frowned.

"Sure, but are we not invited on this little midnight wander?"

"Uhh...no...actually, I wanted to go ask Cleo out...if you don't mind?"

James shrugged, and dug out his cloak, "Sure, just don't lose it or anything, okay?"

"Cheers James," he took the cloak and bounded from the room. James looked suspiciously at his friends, "Why ask her out now, why not wait until tomorrow?"

Remus shrugged and went back to his book, "You know Sirius, he's probably working on that whole mysterious stranger thing."

James and Peter laughed at this, and shrugged of Sirius's strange behaviour.

~**~

Sirius crept through the silent rows in the library, searching for a book on astronomy. It was too risky to get his own copy out, so this would have to do. He found what he was looking for, and quickly hid himself in one of the back rows. Making sure he was still covered, he flicked to the back of the book, which showed last year's moon phases.

"Oh shit!"

~**~

Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris decided to have themselves a little sleep-over that evening in the common room. Chris had brought a substantial amount of sweets and chocolate with her from home, and had spread them all out on Lily's bed. They'd decided to include the third years Jennifer and Georgia, who had hung around the common room for some odd reason, and were shooting furtive glances towards the girls.

"So Lily, I heard James Potter asked you out at the Quidditch tryouts a couple of weeks ago," asked Georgia, her tone slightly accusatory.

Lily glanced up from her collection of chocolate frog cards, "Yeah, he did."

"We heard you said no," piped up Jennifer, flicking her sandy blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I did."

"Why?" asked the two girls in unison.

Lily frowned, "Because I didn't want to...is there something wrong with that?"

"Everything is wrong with that!" cried Georgia, "Do you even _know_ how many girls in this school like James! And _you_ turned _him_ down!"

Lily bit her lip to stop from laughing; however Holly, Bridget and Chris had no such luck.

"Georgia, do you like James?" asked Chris.

"Of course," said Georgia without preamble, "Why wouldn't I?"

"No idea," chuckled Lily, "Why dont you ask him out?"

Georgia seemed to ponder this for a moment, "Alright, maybe I will!"

Holly burst into a fit of giggles, "Do it now, he's in his dormitory."

Mary jumped to her feet, and hurried towards the boy's stair case, closely followed by the other girls.

"Oh this is going to be good," grinned Lily.

~**~

James yelped as six girls suddenly burst into his dorm room. Fully aware that he was shirtless, he blushed, and dived behind Remus.

"What's up?" asked Remus, as though nothing was wrong.

"Georgia has something she'd like to ask James," said Lily promptly, fighting the urge to laugh. Oh, this was perfect payback for James, Georgia was a complete fool!

James, who had managed to pull on a shirt whilst hiding behind Remus, peered around his friend, and frowned.

"What?"

Georgia stepped forward, one hand twisting a strand of dark hair around her finger.

"James, I was actually wondering if you'd like to go out with me."

James's jaw dropped, and Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris dove behind Georgia and Jennifer to hide their smirks. James glance at Remus, who seemed rather shocked himself.

"What...you mean...like as...my girlfriend?" he stuttered.

Georgia nodded unabashedly, "What do you say?"

At that moment, an ashen faced Sirius entered the room, running right into Holly.

"Watch it Black," she hissed, shoving him back. Sirius ignored her, and frowned in confusion at his friends, all thoughts of his previous realisation flying from his mind.

"Are we celebrating something?" he asked.

"Georgia just asked James out, and we're waiting for his answer!" replied Lily.

Sirius glanced at Lily, then to Georgia, then to James, and grinned.

"He'd love to."

"What?!" cried James and Lily in unison. Georgia squealed, and hugged Jennifer.

"James, you're officially going out with Georgia...uhh...the third year...now sod off girls, I need to talk to these lot," he jerked his thumb at James, Remus and Peter, who were still wide eyed with shock.

"Alright, see ya tomorrow James, meet me in the common room so we can have breakfast together," she blew a kiss at him, and left the room.

"Sirius, will you go out with me?" asked Jennifer hopefully.

"No, now out, the lot of you."

Jenni huffed, and stalked from the room, followed by Holly, Bridget and Chris. Lily took one last incredulous look at James, then left too. Once the door was shut, James rounded on Sirius.

"What the bloody hell was _that_!" he cried, pointing at the now empty doorway, "Do you have any idea how annoying Georgia bloody King is!"

"So that's her second name, and of course I do," replied Sirius lazily.

"Then what....why....wha...SIRIUS!"

"Relax, it's all part of the plan," replied Sirius, tossing James his invisibility cloak.

"What plan?" asked Remus, quirking an eyebrow. Sirius sighed as if it were obvious.

"Listen, Evans planned this whole thing."

"What's that got to do with....wait...what?" exclaimed James, "Evans....why?"

"Aaahhh, payback," said Remus, realisation dawning across his face.

"Payback?" asked Peter, "I dont get it?"

"Lily knows how much Georgia annoys you, heck, the girl annoys everyone; I bet she told her to ask you out as a sort of payback. If you'd said no, Georgia would have hounded you constantly...payback," explained Remus.

"Exactly, but she didn't expect you to say yes."

James frowned, "Alright, that's wonderful and everything, but now I'm bloody going out with the girl! Won't that annoy me even more?"

"Yes," replied Sirius and Remus in unison. Peter still looked confused, and shrugged at James.

"Listen, if you act like she doesn't annoy you, then Lily's plan will backfire...just go out with her for a couple of weeks, then ditch and say you've decided to be single for awhile or whatever," continued Sirius.

James mouthed wordlessly at his friends.

"I have reason to believe this will show us Miss Evans' true intentions...I happen to believe she may have a little crush on you," added Sirius with a smirk.

"Has a crush on me...she bloody _hates _me! How on earth can she have a crush on me!" cried James.

"There's a fine line between love and hate James, the fact that she picks on you for the slightest thing suggests she may be fighting deeper feelings," explained Remus. James's shocked expression slowly began to fade, and a small smile began to form.

"You think she likes me?" he asked hoarsely.

Sirius nodded, "Deep down, maybe...and this little experiment will tell us. If she's jealous, she likes you, got it."

James nodded, and grinned.

"You two are genius's, you know that."

"I try," said Sirius lazily, pulling on his pyjamas, "So we can confirm that you do indeed fancy Lily Evans?"

James rolled his eyes and tossed a pair of rolled up socks at Sirius.

"So how did things with Cleo go?" asked Remus.

Sirius stiffened, and shook his head, "Umm, she was asleep already, I'll ask her tomorrow."

"Pretty early for her to be asleep," mused Peter. Sirius shot him a glare, causing him to recoil.

"Nah, probably had a busy day, anyway, I'm tired. Goodnight boys, we have a big day ahead of us!"

~**~

"I can't believe I'm going out with James Potter!" cried Georgia, hugging her friend and jumping around the room like a lunatic.

"Neither can I," mumbled Lily. Bridget heard her, and looked at her interestedly.

"You alright Lils?" she asked.

"Yeah, just annoyed that my plan didn't work...I didn't know he liked her."

Bridget bit her lip. There was more going on here than met the eye.

"You know, James didn't actually say yes, Sirius did."

"He didn't say no either," she muttered, "I'm going to bed."

Bridget nodded, and hugged her friend, deciding she'd pursue whatever was going on tomorrow. Deciding to abandon their sleepover, the girls packed up their things and trudged up the staircase to the dormitories.

Lily pulled her bed hangings closed, and buried herself under the covers. Why was she bothered by this? She could always get James back another way. So what if he was going out with Georgia, she didn't care. Closing her eyes, Lily pushed all thoughts of that night's events far from her mind, and sighed. She'd deal with it in the morning.

"You know Holly, this makes us practically family now," she heard Georgia say from outside her room.

"I'm thrilled, I'll be sure to send the family a letter announcing the wonderful news," Lily chuckled at the deadpan voice of Holly. At least she had her friends to cheer her up.

Oh, such drama filled lives already. Well, it made life a little more interesting, especially when you spent a lot of time with four boys who seemed to have made it their personal goal in life to play tricks on the entire school.

* * *

_Well, what do you think? Any good? Not worthy of the good name fan ficition? Let me know :)_

_I couldn't resist, I'm giving another teaser :D_

_"Mate...are you...a...a."_

_"Yes," whispered Remus, "I'm a werewolf."_

_p.s: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh XD_


	12. Brothers

_A/N: And here's chapter 12, and for some of you, the one you've been waiting for :D I'm pretty excited to hear your thought's on this chapter...I hope they're good!_

_review responses:_

_**FishPonysRock:** thank you :D I'm glad you've enjoyed it! Hope you enjoy the next chapter, and thanks for reading and reviewing!_

_**quirky-as-alice:** It's fine, I only knew through reading another story on here, I haven't read the first book in ages! I must get round to that, actually :D Well, they always said Sirius was a smart boy, he's not as much of an idiot as we think haha. You know, that was actually a major consideration of mine, but then I thought that wouldn't be the type of thing Lily would do. Anyway, thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter too :D_

_**VampireWithTheGoldenEyes:** I know, I was trying to go for it as more of a stumbling across, coincedence sort of thing. When I think about it, a lot of things that happen in the HP books are coincidences or stumbled across upon lol, so I guess I'm just trying to keep it fitting with the canon books :) Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too :)_

_**123456:** Thanks! Glad you liked it! Thanks for reading and reviewing, and enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**Fairywolf:** Your review made my day, you know. I'd actually had a pretty rough day, and I came home and quickly checked who'd reviewed, read that, and I was grinning all night! I couldn't believe it! Thank you so much, really. I'm so glad you're continuing to enjoy the story, the repsponse to the story alone has been overwhelming, if I'm honest, far better than the first time around. Oh, I'd love to write something like that, actually. A next generation story :D I may do so yet, one TMT is all finished mind. Thanks for reading and leaving that amazing review :D hope you enjoy the next chapter (and a professional career will always be the dream :D)_

_**Bookworm315:** Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Well, as you know from the teaser, this is THE chapter, I hope you like it! Thanks for reading and reviewing too :)_

_**BloodMoonRising:** Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it, and please enjoy this chapter aswell! Thank you, as always, for reading and reviewing!_

_**splatteredpaint:** I know, but she's too damn stubborn to admit it! Silly girl. But if she admitted it straight away, we wouldn't have much of a story, eh? Haha, well, you'll see the outcome in this chapter, I won't give it away :) And no, Holly does not seem Jolly about it at all :D! Well, Reg is only a first year, so he's still idolizing his brother atm, but the cracks will start to show, unfortunately. We'll just have to hope they win (of course I'm not telling, haha, but sometimes, even I don't know what the outcome of this story will be, I find things changing all the time!) Yes, Sirius is a smart one, otherwise he would've never have become the Padfoot we all know and love! Sorry about the cliffy, but they're always good fun, admit it! haha, anyway, thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and I hope this chapter is long and enjoyable enough!_

_**appleeater123:** Thank you :D I'm happy you liked it, I tried to make it more light hearted than previous chapters, things have been a little angsty lately. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter aswell!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of it...except my OC's. Not that they're going to make me money, they're just a figment of my extremely overactive imagination...it's all for fun!_

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Twelve**_

**_Brothers_**

The next morning, news that James Potter was officially going out with Georgia King spread like wildfire. Apparently Georgia had gotten up early and announced the news to anyone who would listen.

James reluctantly left his dorm that morning, knowing he'd be meeting his girlfriend (saying that still made him shudder) and having breakfast with her. However the temptation of finding out whether Sirius and Remus' musing's were true was too much to pass up on.

"Jamsie!"

James involuntarily shuddered, and forced a smile to his face. He really was too young for this...damn Sirius and his intelligent musings!

"Georgia, good morning," he replied politely. Georgia giggled and flushed. She wasn't too bad looking, if he was honest. Her dark hair matched his, and her blue eyes held a certain sparkle, but they would have looked better green, and who wanted the same colour hair as everybody else, at least red was unique. Plus, she was without a doubt the most annoying person he'd ever laid eyes on.

The pair drifted down to the hall, Georgia clutching James' arm, James off in la la land thinking about Lily. All eyes were on the two of them as they entered, Sirius and Jonny wolf whistling and cat calling as they took their seats.

"Sod off," hissed James to a smirking Sirius.

Sirius chuckled, "Lighten up mate, Evans will be here soon".

As soon as the words escaped his mouth, Lily and the girls entered the hall. James was surprised to see Lily with quite a scowl on her face, with the other three shooting worried glances at her. The four girls took seats not too far from the boys, and silently began their breakfast.

"She looks sad," whispered Sirius with a smile on his face. James nodded, his eyes never leaving Lily.

"Jamsie! Are you even listening to me!?"

James jumped, and glanced at a frowning Georgia.

"Yeah...uhh...sorry, I'm in a world of my own this morning," that wasn't really a lie, it just so happened Lily was in that world too.

"Alright, but pay attention, I am your girlfriend after all," sulked Georgia. She had expected him to pay more attention to her; instead he just kept staring at his cousin and her friends.

"Give her a kiss," hissed Sirius.

James blanched, and vehemently shook his head.

Sirius nudged James, and nodded. James swallowed, and turned to Georgia. She looked at him in confusion as he leant in towards her. Here goes.

"Oh my god!"

Chris clapped her hand to her mouth and nudged Lily. Lily glanced up, and gasped.

James Potter was snogging Georgia King right there at the breakfast table!

"Oh that is disgusting!" exclaimed Holly, scrunching her nose.

"I feel a little sick," grimaced Bridget.

Lily nodded silently, and felt a strange anger boiling up inside her. She had to stop this.

"POTTER!"

James released Georgia's lips with a juicy smack, and turned to look at Lily. Sirius and Remus smirked at each other, and watched as well.

"Yes Evans?" asked James sweetly.

"Do you mind, we're trying to eat here," she snapped, her green eyes flashing.

"Jealous, are we Evans?"

Remus smacked his hand to his forehead, and Sirius let his head fall onto the table. Even Peter cringed. James really was an idiot.

Lily gaped at James, then let out a shriek of harsh laughter.

"Jealous? Oh you wish Potter! Why on earth would I be jealous? I feel _sorry_ for Georgia having to put up with an ego like yours!"

Holly, Bridget and Chris bit their lips simultaneously, and exchanged worried glances with Sirius, Remus and Peter. James mouthed wordlessly, unsure as to what he should say next.

"I...well...I...I know you planned this whole thing Evans!" he blurted out. Sirius began banging his head on the table, muttering something inaudible. Remus kicked James under the table, but accidently hit Peter instead, who yelped loudly.

Lily's hair seemed to grow in volume, her cheeks flushing with anger.

"Planned it? PLANNED IT! Why the hell would I plan this Potter!?"

"Okay, let's go," Holly quickly stood up and grabbed Lily by the elbow, dragging her from the hall. James could still hear her shouting even once she'd disappeared from sight. Around him, he could see Slytherins sniggering and many other students whispering and chuckling quietly. He knew he was blushing, but didn't bother to stop it.

James turned to his friends, who were all shaking their heads.

"Umm...James?"

James glanced at Georgia, "What?"

"I think it's pretty clear what's going on here, I think we should break up."

"Whatever," mumbled James, as Georgia and Jennifer quietly left the table.

Silence befell the group of friends, no one quite sure what to say. Finally, it was Sirius who broke the silence.

"You're an idiot."

~**~

It seemed this was the last straw for Lily. The entire school had learned of that mornings events, and it was the discussion topic of the day. Everybody had come to the same conclusion, what little chance there may have been for any reconciliation between Lily and James had flown out the window with that mornings post. Even James, whom they had expected to remain hopeful seemed to realise he had completely blown his chance.

Lily hadn't even glared at him since breakfast. She didn't even look at him. She just acted as if he wasn't there at all. Chris and Bridget, who had quite hoped the two groups of friends would somehow become one, saw their dream die the moment James asked Lily if she was jealous. They doubted that Lily and James would ever even speak again.

James stalked moodily through the halls as he and his friends made their way to Defence against the Dark Arts. They were pretty late, but he really didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore.

"Cheer up mate, it's really not that bad," Sirius had been desperately trying to cheer his friend up all morning, even Remus and Peter helped. He tried pulling Janet Sharpe's chair out from beneath her; Remus tried charming Pamela Clavering's quill to squirt ink at her every time she tried to write. He even managed to acquire some bats at lunch and let them loose in the Gryffindor common room. James hadn't laughed once, which seriously worried Sirius.

"Potter!"

James turned slowly, "What?"

Snape and a small group of Slytherin's James knew to be Evan Rosier, Quentin Mulciber and Kyle Avery stepped towards James and his friends, smug smirks on their faces. James frowned when he recognised the fifth person; Regulus.

"Hi Sirius," Regulus waved brightly at his brother. Sirius grabbed his brother's arm and dragged him over to his side.

"Why aren't you in class?" he hissed.

Regulus shrugged, "Severus said he was going to see you, I haven't seen you guys in awhile."

Sirius shook his head and pulled his brother behind him, sure there was going to be some sort of confrontation.

"What do you want Snivellus, I have class right now," snapped James. His hand gripped his wand in his pocket; he wasn't in the mood for any of Snape's taunting.

"I'm just here to deliver a message from Lily actually. You know we're best friends right?" Snape smirked.

James felt his anger triple at the mention of this, "Shove off Snivelly before I make you," he said through gritted teeth.

Snape and his friends howled with laughter, "Careful Potter, wouldn't want to anger Lily anymore than you already have," Snape sneered.

James exhaled slowly, and turned on his heel. He was right, hexing Snape would only make Lily hate him even more.

"That's right walk away you coward, you know Lily and I are getting on _very_ well at the moment, if you know what I mean."

Snape and his friends burst out with laughter. Remus saw a muscle twitch in James' jaw, a warning sign.

"Snape bugger off," hissed Remus.

"What are you gonna do Lupin, go tell your mum? Oh wait...you can't, she's on her deathbed, isn't she?"

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

Snape felt his wand fly from his hand, but the power of the spell also caused him to fly back into the opposite wall.

"James cool it!" cried Remus, diving in front of his friend.

"AAAHHH!"

James and Remus snapped their heads to the left and saw Sirius holding a gash on his cheek which was bleeding profusely. They turned, and saw Avery pointing his wand triumphantly at Sirius.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Remus pointed his wand at Avery, causing his body to go rigid and fall back. Snape jumped to his feet after retrieving his wand and was about to scream something when Professor McGonagall came storming around the corner.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?"

The eight boys who were able to turn (Avery was still in a full body bind curse on the floor) stood defiantly against McGonagall, whose nose was flared and eyes were flashing with rage.

James glanced at Snape, and the two boys simultaneously began shouting their sides of the story.

"He provoked us Professor...."

"He just started firing curses...."

"He insulted Remus' mum..."

"We were late and he just turned on us..."

"ENOUGH!" roared McGonagall, "Mr Lupin, Mr Pettigrew, please take Mr Black to the hospital wing, Mr Mulciber, Mr Rosier, the same with Mr Avery, Regulus get to your lesson...Potter, Snape, follow me."

Remus patted James on the shoulder, then helped Peter support Sirius, who had gone quite pale with loss of blood. Rosier and Mulciber grabbed Avery and carried him off in the same direction. McGonagall turned on her heel and headed towards her office with James and Snape in tow.

~**~

James and Snape took seats in the hard, straight backed chairs in front of McGonagall's neatly organised desk. The Professor began pacing behind her desk, her anger evident.

"I'm sick of you both, this silly little rivalry is going to end up causing somebody some real damage," she started, "Mr Black is lucky that curse did not hit anywhere vital."

James fought the urge to laugh; Sirius would definitely consider his face to be vital.

"Potter, tell me what happened."

"Snape was taunting us, as usual," he shot Snape a glare, "He said something about Remus' mum...she's sick...and I...just snapped."

McGonagall nodded, "Is that true?"

Snape thought it best not to lie, McGonagall would obviously believe Potter.

"Yes."

McGonagall pushed back her glasses and rubbed her eyes, "Twenty points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin, I will NOT tolerate duelling in the hallways, no matter who provoked who, and detention to the both of you for carrying on the silly feud. If you do not get along, then keep out of each other's way."

James and Snape nodded.

"Go to your lessons, and if I here even a rumour that you two have been fighting again I will seriously reconsider whether you should even remain here at Hogwarts."

James kept his mouth shut, he knew better than to protest.

"I'll be writing home to your parents too, now out of my sight!"

James and Snape stood up, and left the office, going their separate ways.

~**~

"...so she gave me detention, took a few points off, wrote home to my mum and said that if it happens again I'm out."

James rubbed his temple after retelling his friends what McGonagall had said.

"She's mental! Snape started it!" cried Sirius. His face was fully healed, and much to his relief, was scar free.

"We retaliated though, we're just as bad," said Remus.

Sirius gaped at Remus, "Mate he insulted your mum! Why aren't you angry!?"

Remus shrugged, "I guess I can control my anger better than the two of you."

Sirius eyed Remus curiously, more and more pieces falling into place.

"POTTER!"

James winced, and readied himself for a good telling off. He turned slowly and came face to face with a livid red haired girl. God, she was pretty when she was angry.

"Don't start Evans, I've already had a good telling off from McGonagall, I don't need your divine intervention either."

"Well you're going to get it, why can't you just leave him alone!" she snapped. Behind her, Holly, Bridget and Chris moved around and took seats next to the boys.

"He deserved it, I know you won't believe me, but he did. He taunted Remus about his mum, and I'm not gonna let anybody say stuff like that to one of my best mates!"

Remus felt his heart swell, even if this wasn't exactly a good moment for it.

Lily faltered a little, and glanced at Remus.

"Is that true?" she knew all about Remus' mum after overhearing Remus and Sirius talking about it, and had offered her sympathy on more than one occasion.

"Yeah, it's true," replied Remus.

Lily glanced back at James, "Well...then...you should have reported it! Instead of always taking things into your own hands! You may _think_ you're above the rules Potter, but you're not!"

"Merlin, Evans, will you give it a rest!?"

The entire group turned and stared incredulously at Peter, who had clapped his hands over his mouth.

Lily looked dumbfounded. Peter was the quiet one. He _never_ spoke out against anybody, never!

"I...I have homework, but this isn't over," she hissed to James. She turned on her heel and stalked up to the girl's dormitory. Chris, Bridget and Holly glanced at each other.

"Listen James, I just want you to know, we don't hold anything against you, we believe you when you say Snape was to blame," said Chris.

"Thanks Chris," James managed a small smile. Chris nodded, and headed towards her room.

"This place is like one of those Muggle soap operas," chuckled Holly.

"We'd laugh, but I don't know what you're talking about," laughed Remus. Holly shrugged and handed James a letter.

"Merlin couldn't find you so he gave this to me, your mum certainly got back fast!"

"She probably sensed I was getting into trouble and sent this as a precaution," laughed James, taking the letter.

"More than likely, anyway, try to keep out of trouble will you?"

James mock saluted, and bade goodbye to his cousin. He opened the letter and laughed.

"Yup, she isn't happy," he folded the letter up and tossed it onto the table. James sighed, and glanced out of the window, staring at nothing in particular.

"So Remus, when are you going home?" asked Peter.

"Next week," said Remus, "I'll probably been gone for a couple of days."

"I hope your mum gets better soon, you always look so pale and tired when you go," said Sirius, trying to fish for more information.

Remus shrugged, "It takes alot out of me I guess, it's not easy seeing her sick."

"She'll be better soon mate," assured Sirius, disappointed that he hadn't revealed anything in particular.

"It's a strange illness though," sounded James, who was still looking out of the window, "I've noticed she gets bad at least once a month."

"Yeah, my dad isn't really sure what it is, we're just trying to help in any way we can," replied Remus, becoming a little uncomfortable.

James nodded absently, and glanced up into the sky. The first Quidditch match of the year was only a few weeks away, he'd be up in that sky soon, playing for his house. He still couldn't believe he was actually on the team, it was the best feeling ever, knowing he'd up their soon, soaring high above screaming supporters. The moon looked particularly bright tonight, he thought. Almost full.

For the second time that week, a Gryffindor boy went white as a sheet, as a realisation dawned upon him. Once a month. An almost full moon. Once a month. Oh god.

James jumped to his feet and grabbed Sirius by the sleeve of his robes.

"Whoa what!" he cried, as James dragged him towards the portrait hole. Remus and Peter glanced at each other, and shrugged. Remus however, was becoming more and more worried. That was the second time one of his friends had ran out after talking about his mum. But they couldn't know...they just couldn't!

~**~

"James what are you doing?" asked Sirius as his friend dragged him into an empty classroom. Sirius glanced around, and smirked.

"Normally I'd choose a broom closet, but whatever," he joked.

James pulled a disgusted face at Sirius, and began pacing the room.

"Once a month," he said hoarsely.

Sirius frowned, then his eyes widened. He's figured it out too.

"Almost a full moon," he replied.

James closed his eyes as though in pain, "How did you figure it out?"

Sirius shrugged, "I dunno, even I dont understand the way my mind works...I just happened to notice the moon when Remus was talking about leaving."

James nodded, "Is that why you left and said you were going to see Cleo?"

Sirius nodded, "I checked the charts in the library instead. You remember last Halloween. When Remus left a couple of days later, and when he came back he was really pale and tired."

"Yeah?"

Sirius swallowed hard, "The chart said the full moon was on November 2nd....when he would have left."

James inhaled sharply, but then shook his head, "Could just be a coincidence."

"No, remember he came back after last Christmas, he was really pale, the full moon was on New Year's Eve that year".

James pushed back his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "When's the next full moon."

Sirius gulped, and looked fearfully at James, "Next...next week...when Remus said he was leaving."

James dropped his hands to his side, and slowly sat on one of the desks.

"What does this mean...his mums a...or....he is..." he couldn't bring himself to say the word.

Sirius took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

"James...I think Remus is a...a...werewolf".

The two boy's heads snapped towards the door as Remus and Peter quietly stepped in.

"Guys it's almost curfew you know, you'd better get..." Remus trailed off at the fearful looks on his friends faces.

"What's wrong...did something happen with Snape again?" he asked. Please let that be it, he thought, please let it be nothing.

James and Sirius glanced at each, and nodded. They couldn't leave this. They had to know.

"Remus, do you know what date you're leaving to see your mum?" asked James.

"I have a seat booked on the knight bus for the 23rd," he said without thinking. Sirius stood up, and left the room.

"Guys what's going on?" asked Peter worriedly, glancing between Remus and James. James shook his head, and waited for Sirius to get back.

Remus' face drained of all colour when Sirius returned. Held in his hands was a copy of one of their astronomy books.

_No_, he thought. _Please God, no. Don't do this to me!_

"The full moons on the 23rd," said Sirius quietly. His face was a picture of sadness; he even looked close to tears. Remus's eyes darted to the second book clutched in Sirius's hands, a rather battered copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, most likely from the library.

Sirius opened the small red book, and flicked to somewhere near the back. He scanned one of the pages, then snapped the book shut.

"You're looking a little peaky Remus," he said quietly, "Are you feeling alright?"

Remus began to shake. He wrapped his arms around himself as if to ward off a non-existent chill and took a few steps back away from the boys. His eyes widened slightly, he could feel the stinging of his tears threatening to fall. They couldn't know...they just couldn't. How did they find out, he'd been so careful! Sure, his cover story wasn't the best, but it was plausible. Somebody must have told them. Dumbledore, McGonagall...somebody had to have told them!

James' face bore and unreadable expression as he glanced up at Remus.

"Mate...are you...a...a..."

He trailed off, clearly too horrified to speak. Remus looked between his friends, and could tell instantly that both James and Sirius knew. There was no point in lying anyway...it was all over.

"Yes," whispered Remus, "I'm a werewolf."

Peter squeaked, and jumped back away from him. James fell back against the desk, clutching his hair. Sirius dropped the books he was holding. It was true. Remus Lupin, their friend Remus Lupin, was a werewolf.

"How...how did you...find out?" Remus asked quietly, not daring to look at any of them.

"We just...figured it out...coincidence really...we both noticed the moon was almost full...God Remus..." Sirius rubbed his hands over his face and lowered himself to a seat.

"But how...how did you come to that – that...conclusion," Remus' voice was so small, frail and weak sounding, like all of his energy had been drained right at that moment.

"We're pure-bloods, Remus," Sirius continued, his grey eyes looking surprisingly dull, "We've had it drummed into us since birth what – _they_ – are...that they're..." Remus knew what he was going to say, and was thankful he didn't. He didn't need to be told he was a monster...he'd known that for years.

"How...when –" James started. Remus held his hand up; they might as well hear the entire story.

"I was five," he started simply, "My dad...he wasn't very friendly with a man who lived in our street...Fenrir Greyback. He...well they got into a bit of an argument really...and...well...my dad didn't know...but Greyback...he was a – a – werewolf".

James inhaled sharply. Surely this man didn't...

"My dad insulted Greyback....and...well...he saw fit to punish my father....so he...he bit me," Remus was shaking uncontrollably now, his eyes filled with tears. He hadn't cried in a long time, not since he was in primary school, and the kids would tease him for looking so unwell.

Sirius shook his head, his face etched with sadness. James watched Remus for a moment, unsure as to what to say.

"I...I'm sorry I never told you...I mean....you were all so nice to me," Remus' eyes cast downward, he was barely able to stay in the same room as them, "I've never been allowed to have any real friends before...just in case....but when I came to Hogwarts....Dumbledore said no one would find out...and then I met you guys...I didn't want to...to scare you away...you're the only friends I've ever had," small tears were falling down his cheeks, and James noticed Remus had backed away even more from the boys, "It hurts so much when I transform...the pain makes me angry....I'm a danger to everybody....I shouldn't even be here!" His eyes widened as though he had just realised this, and he stood up, starting towards the door, "I'm too dangerous, I understand if you guys don't want to be around me anymore, I wouldn't expect you to...I'll go to Dumbledore right now..." he quickly crossed the rest of the room, not daring to look back. It was just too painful. He was almost at the door when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Remus turned slowly, and saw James, an indescribable look on his face.

Without a moment's pause, James pulled Remus towards him, and embraced him tightly. The pair were silent for a moment, before Remus broke down completely. He didn't care if boys weren't supposed to cry, for they weren't all tears of sadness. Mixed in, were tears of relief. He felt two more hands patting him on the back, and he knew they were the hands of Sirius and Peter.

Remus drew back and wiped his eyes on the back of his hand.

"Do you honestly think we'd think any different of you because of this, if that were the case we'd have hexed Sirius for having a crazy purist family on our first day," grinned James. Sirius chuckled, and nodded.

"I...I just thought that...I mean...I'm a werewolf....I'm dangerous," mumbled Remus, still glancing every so often at the door behind him.

"Correction, you're only dangerous once a month," sounded Sirius promptly, "And you're never here then, so really...you're not dangerous at all."

Remus gave a watery smile to his friends, his heart swelling with joy of its own accord. Though he was still having trouble believing it, and frankly was at a loss as to why, they weren't rejecting him. They didn't even seem afraid of him! They hadn't recoiled when he had finally admitted it...they hadn't shouted in fear or disgust. They were still his best friends...his brothers.

"Guys...I....you...thank you," he whispered, hoping against hope they were really staying, that they didn't hate him.

"No problem," James waved his hand as though it were no trouble in the world, and if he were truly honest, to him, it wasn't, "So we have a minor setback in any full moon pranks or night time explorations we wanna do, we'll work around it."

"Besides, how many people can say they're friends with a werewolf!? This is brilliant!" exclaimed Sirius.

Peter, who had been quiet during the whole thing, smiled warmly at Remus, and patted his arm, "You're still our best mate, like we all said, we look out for each other...just like in the duel with Snape."

Remus nodded, and fought back a fresh wave of tears.

"So, your mum's not really sick...where do you go to...you know...change?" asked James carefully.

Remus thought for a moment about telling them, but remembered his promise to Dumbledore, plus it would only endanger them...he knew they'd end up coming if he told them.

"Home...mum and dad put me in the basement, then when I'm transform back I come back here."

Sirius frowned, "You're alone when it happens?"

"Obviously you dolt, if he bites anybody they change too," said James.

"Isn't there anything they can do...like a cure?" asked Peter.

Remus shook his head, "No, I think they're working on something to ease the pain when a werewolf transforms, but I dont think it's anywhere near finished," replied Remus sadly, "But not to worry, I'm used to it."

James, Sirius and Peter exchanged frowning glances. There must be something they could do, something to ease the pain, or cure the loneliness. In a silent conformation they agreed to look into it, and do anything they could to help.

"So...I mean...we're okay?" asked Remus tentatively.

James looked at his three friends, and nodded.

"I think we might have just become far closer than before Remus, thanks to you."

Remus laughed nervously in relief, "Glad I could be of assistance."

* * *

_I'm so nervous for this chapter, for what you all think. I spent ages on it, it's been changed about seven or eight times. I really hope I've captured Remus and the boys' discovery well, and i hope you've all liked it!_

_Let me know...wow, I'm really nervous!_

_Grace ~_


	13. Too Close to Home

_A/N: And here's chapter thirteen...some say unlucky thirteen....what bad luck will our heroes be in for this time.....:D_

_review responses:_

_**Geniia:** Thank you! Yeah, I was nervous, cause this is quite a pivotal moment in the Marauders lives, and I wanted to get it just right, I'm so relieved that everyone likes it! I know, I found myself tearing up a little when I was writing Remus' reaction, I just had this image of a sandy haired little boy with tears in his eyes :( but it's all okay now, they still love him :D Yeah, well I kinda of thought Peter would be the more cautious and nervous one, and we know he idolized James and Sirius, so I can imagine he wouldn't have said it was okay (even if to him it was) until the other two did. That's just my opinion anyway, so well spotted! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, and I'm so happy you liked the chapter! Enjoy the next one!_

_**000kayko000:** Thanks, glad you liked it! I know, poor Remus, but they've accepted him! Yay! Thanks for reviewing and reading, hope you enjoy the next chapter :D_

_**neive lillrose:** Thank you! I'm glad you liked it :) Yeah, Remus' part to write was sad, but it ended well :) Lily will realise, don't worry, she has to! The story will go all the way to their seventh year, so we still have five years to go :) Peter is a slimeball, but I figured he must have been a good guy at some point, he was a Marauder after all. But he got his comeuppance in the end! Thanks for reading, reviewing and alerting and all that :D I hope you like the next chapter too!_

_**appleeater123:** Wow! Really? I'm sure J.K would have done a better job *blushes* but wow! Thats probably one of the best comments my writing has ever gotten....ever! Thanks you so muhc ofr reading and reviewing, glad you liked it :) Hope you enjoy the next chapter too!_

_**VampireWithTheGoldenEyes:** He is rather dim isn't he...atleast for now :( Thank you XD I'm glad you liked it, I hope you like this next chapter (though from the responses I've gotten, it's probably impossible for me to beat!) Thanks for reviewing and reading, as always :)_

_**evershort:** Really, it's not a big deal. You've reviewed every chapter so far, and you've been a loyal reader, so I honestly don't mind. Not that I'm not immensely grateful for every single review I get, but you shouldn't feel bad about missing a couple, I know how often real life suddenly catches up on you, there's a couple of times I've found myself strapped for time to even update!__ I'm glad you liked those lines :D I do try for a bit of humour here and there. I'm really happy you liked the boys finding out about Remus too, incase you didn't know (I think I may have over mentioned it tbh, lol) I was nervous about how the chapter turned out. But it seems to have gone down well. Thank you as always for reading and reviewing (three times in all!!!) and i hope you like this chapter just as much :)_

_p.s. I positively grinned XD_

_**Fairywolf:** Hi Izzy :D Wow, thank you so much, yet another wonderful review from you, they always brighten my day! I try to make the story as exciting as possible, I hope it's working, it seems to be, which is brilliant! I'm so glad you liked the whole werewolf discovery too. Yeah, the potion was called Wolfsbane, but I think since I've mentioned it when they're second years (I'm pretty sure it _was_ fifth year when Remus said he heard of it) I haven't given the name. I'm guessing it wouldn't have been fully developed then, and would probably have been just a rumour...well, that's my thoughts anyway lol. Well, what I have planned is for this story to go up to their seventh year, then to start a seperate story (with the same characters) about their years after Hogwarts and during the First War, leading up to Halloween, 1981. What do you think, good idea? I already have a few scenes for that story written down actually, I find myself randomly scribbling little plotlines down (I already have two marriages planned, a little teaser there :D ), so that's the plan so far, anyway. Thank you once again, for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy this next chapter too!_

_Grace ~ (I've probably mentioned my name already, but there you go!)_

_**quirky-as-alice:** When it comes to Lily, I'm sure we're going to see a lot of James' idiotic side! And we still have another five years to go! Haha! Thank you for reading and reviewing, I'm glad you liked it, and please enjoy the next chapter too :)_

_**FishPonysRock:** Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Hope you liked the next chapter too :)_

_**BloodMoonRising:** Thank you so much...the responses for this chapter have been so overwhelming, my heart is simply swelling! My face split into (yet another) grin when I read your review, you guys have all made my day! I'm glad you liked it (of course, feel free to read it as many times as you want :D ) and I'm relieved you liked the way I portrayed the characters and their responses too! I hope you enjoy this next chapter just as much (there's no major discovery's here, but there's a little twist at the end ;) ) Thank you as always for reading and reviewing! Until next time!_

_**splatteredpaint:** last, but never least, my longest reviewer :D Thank you! yes, James is a complete idiot when it comes to Lily, just wait until he starts really trying to win her over, I have a lot planned for dear Potter ;) Yeah, I think that before their discovery, they were best friends, but afterwards, they were more brothers. I can imagine that something like that could only bring the four of them closer together, and a lot more trusting of each other. And I know, poor Reg, it's tearing me apart writing his part, I really like him as a character! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, I'm really glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one too!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own HP *sigh*, but hey, that doesn't mean that someday I won't own a national (global, even) treasure! Fingers crossed, eh?_

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

**_Too Close to Home_**

With the revelation that Remus was a werewolf, it seemed the four friends became closer than ever. Even their fellow students and teachers noticed the change, remarking at how trusting the four seemed of each other, and even though they had rarely been seen out of each others company since they had met, the dynamics of their group had _definitely_ changed, that much was certain. Of course, James, Sirius and Peter swore they'd never tell Remus's secret, and Remus believed them. He knew by the way they had reacted, and how they had comforted him, that they would never betray his secret.

However, on the night he was due to leave for the transformation, James, Sirius and Peter discovered the whole truth.

Remus had not long ago left to board the Knight bus to take him home for his transformation. Thanks to the speediness of the bus, he would have plenty of time at home before he transformed. James, Sirius and Peter decided to try and get some homework done, though their thoughts were somewhere else.

"I can't believe he goes through something like that every...you know...I don't think I'd be able to handle it," admitted James as the three friends attempted a particularly nasty essay on Shrinking Solutions they'd been given by Slughorn.

"I wish there was something we could do, we've been researching _you-know-what's_ all week, and nothing," said Sirius irritably.

It was true. The boys had dedicated any free periods they had (without Remus' knowledge) into finding something that could perhaps help him. They had already read about the potion their friend had told them about, however from what they had discovered so far, it was nowhere near ready; it didn't even have a name yet. So far, all they'd managed to find out was that werewolves were extremely dangerous to humans, and should be avoided at all costs, something that when read, extremely angered James. Remus wasn't dangerous at all.

"He shouldn't have to face it alone either," James added, frowning at the thought of their friend in pain. From what they knew, transforming into a werewolf was hardly a bed of roses. Sirius merely shrugged, and turned back to his essay. Normally he wouldn't have bothered with homework, but Remus had made them promise they would get it done, and neither James, Sirius nor Peter could refuse the request on this particular day. But that was Remus for you, always thinking of others even when he was about to go through something truly horrific.

After several more minutes of homework induced silence, the boys were started by Peter squeaking loudly. James and Sirius frowned at their friend, noticing he wasn't staring at them; in fact, he was staring out of the common room window that had sat by.

"What's wrong?" asked James.

Peter turned a stricken and pale face to James and Sirius, "I don't think Remus told us the entire truth," he pointed a shaking finger out of the window. James and Sirius leant over, and looked out.

They didn't understand how they hadn't seen it before. It was dusk, it was starting to get rather dark, but the moon wasn't out yet, and they could just make out Remus and what appeared to be the school nurse Madam Pomfrey scurrying across the grounds...towards the Whomping Willow!

"Why are they going there?" Sirius voiced the question all three of them were thinking, careful not to say anything too loud; there were still several students milling about the common room.

The three friends watched in a mixture of awe and horror as the tree suddenly froze its flailing branches, and Remus and Madam Pomfrey disappeared. Minutes passed in silence, all three boys staring wide eyed out of the window, then Madam Pomfrey reappeared, hurrying away from the tree and back towards the castle.

James glanced at Sirius and Peter, who both seemed to be thinking the same thing. Invisibility cloak...now!

~**~

"I don't understand, how did they get the tree to stop moving?" hissed Sirius. The three friends, hidden under James' invisibility cloak, were staring perplexed at the Whomping Willow. It had been relatively easy to get out into the castle grounds. Curfew hadn't been enforced yet, but they thought it best to remain under the invisibility cloak just in case they ran into a curious teacher or a meddling Evans.

"Maybe it has a password or something?" suggested Peter thoughtfully, tilting his chubby face to the side.

Sirius nodded, and cleared his throat, "Uhhh...werewolf!"

The tree continued to strain towards them, the three boys just out of its reach.

"I don't think it's a password, look," said James. He pointed to a long stick lying on the ground near a small knot in one of the gnarled roots on the tree.

"What're we supposed to do with it?" Peter whispered, glancing nervously around. James shrugged, and stepped forward; making sure the invisibility cloak still covered them all. He grabbed the stick, and did the first thing the popped into his head; prodded the small knot. The tree instantly froze, and James looked at his friends in triumph.

"How did you work that one out?" Sirius asked with a quirked eyebrow.

James shrugged at his friend, "Seems the most logical thing, as Lupin would say."

Sirius chuckled, and turned back to face the now frozen tree.

"Let's go."

"Wait," said Peter, "The moon is already out...he...he's gonna be a werewolf already."

Sirius and James exchanged glances, "Well, we're invisible right? He won't be able to see us," said Sirius.

Peter nodded, but didn't seem thoroughly convinced, however he did follow them.

As they climbed through the opening beneath the Whomping Willow, the three friends came face to face with a rocky tunnel. They nodded silently to each other, and followed the tunnel.

After what seemed like half an hour of walking along the flat surface, the tunnel started to slope upwards. A few more minutes of walking and James spotted a wooden door straight ahead of them, and urged the others to hurry forward.

"Come on, we must be there," he whispered.

James pushed the door open, and stepped into a large hallway. The floorboards were dusty, though James could see one set of footprints leading up a set of rickety looking stairs. The banister was broken in the middle, and James could see a door hanging on by just its hinges.

"Where are we?" asked Sirius.

James shrugged, and proceeded to climb the stairs. He stopped abruptly, as a shrieking howl pierced the air. It fully hit him that wherever they were, they were now in the presence of a werewolf, and though they knew it was Remus, it didn't make the encounter less frightening. James glanced at Sirius, and pulled the invisibility cloak tighter over them.

"I think we'd better go, Remus would never forgive himself if anything ever happened," said James. The others nodded, and quickly made their way back into the tunnel, and back to the castle.

~**~

"Why do you think he wouldn't tell us he stayed at school for the full moon?"

James, Sirius and Peter were now making their way back to the Gryffindor common room, having sprinted away from the Whomping Willow as fast as possible. Feeling they were safe enough, they had uncovered themselves, James keeping the invisibility cloak tucked under his cloak.

Sirius shrugged, "Probably 'cause he knew we'd wanna see where it was."

James rolled his eyes, but grinned, "He knows us too well, we can't surprise him anymore."

Sirius laughed, "Shame, guess we'll have to be more inventive if we ever wanna trick him."

Beside the boys, Peter was remaining quiet, as he often did. He wasn't as confident as the boys, though he did have his moments.

"Don't you think it's a little dangerous, having a werewolf in the grounds?"

James and Sirius stopped abruptly, and whipped around to face a now cowering Peter.

"What, you think Remus is dangerous?" hissed Sirius, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"N – n – no," stammered Peter, "I – I just m – meant...when he...he's transformed."

James frowned at Peter, "He's in that house, wherever it is, and we walked for nearly an hour, he's nowhere near us," he stated simply, leaving no room for argument. Peter merely nodded, and after casting his eyes downward, followed the boys back to the common room. James felt a little sorry for Peter; after all, he was only voicing a concern, though did he really think Dumbledore wouldn't take every necessary precaution possible?

~**~

James, Sirius and Peter never told Remus they knew where he really went every month. They didn't want him to think they were following him, or didn't trust him. Although it was big news, the four friend's lives remained mostly the same.

James, Sirius and Remus continued to get top marks in their classes, whilst Peter got reasonably good marks with a little help and extra studying with his friends. James and Sirius continued causing a little mayhem here and there for good measure, and even Remus seemed to be getting into the mischief making business by suggesting a few pranks himself. Even Peter, who normally just went along with it, came up with a couple of his own.

James and the rest of the team maintained their excellence in their Quidditch practices, all of them sure they would have a good shot at winning. Jonny, however, seemed to be getting a little obsessed, and had booked the pitch four nights a week for training, leaving little time for homework, and barely anytime at all for recreation.

However, the four friends still managed their night time explorations of the castle and its grounds, and even found a new secret passage, aside from the Whomping Willow (which they, of course, didn't tell Remus about); the one they found was on the first floor behind a suit of armour that only opened if you tapped the armour seven times. This passage led out of the castle and into the Forbidden Forest via an underground tunnel; however the boys had seen Filch hanging around the suit of armour, and were convinced he knew about it too.

True to his idea, Sirius scribbled down the location of their discovery, and also a couple of doors hidden behind tapestries they'd found one night. Remus had joked that he reckoned Sirius was going to draw a map of the entire place, however they knew it was impossible; plus there was still so much to discover!

Lily and James seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement not to even acknowledge each other. Lily simply ignored James completely, whilst James merely kept out of her way. He'd also kept his word to McGonagall, and had stayed clear of Snape...for the meanwhile.

All in all, James seemed to be having a rather good start to the year. He'd made the Quidditch team, discovered his best friend was a werewolf, _and_ found two new secret passages all in the first two months of term. It was shaping up to be a pretty exciting year indeed.

~**~

"All right team, this is it."

Jonathan led his team down the tunnel leading to the Quidditch pitch. James glanced at Sirius, who looked just as pale as he was sure he was. Nerves. Their first match of the season was against Slytherin, who had quite a formidable team.

There were no new additions to their team this year, most of the team consisted of burly sixth and seventh years with far more brawn than brains. The captain, Gary Flint, was a tall, muscular seventh year with dark black hair and an ever present scowl on his face. He and Jonny had had several 'run ins' on the Quidditch pitch before, starting when Jonny joined the team in second year and had taken a bludger to the head three minutes in courtesy of Flint.

The Gryffindor team stepped out into the bright December sunlight to a cacophony of cheers from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The boos and hisses of the Slytherin's could also be heard, not ones to be outdone.

Jonny and Flint shook hands briefly, staring daggers at each other as they did so. Madam Hooch stepped in between the two, and released the bludgers and the snitch. James felt Kelly stir beside him, clearly itching to go. Sirius and Geoffrey had their bats at the ready. Hooch smiled at the teams, then tossed the Quaffle into the air. The game had begun.

~**~

"...and it's Potter to Knight, younger sister of our beloved captain who has put together quite a strong team this year..." Fabian Prewett, Gryffindor and one of Jonny's best friends was commentating. Gryffindor were leading 50-40, however the Slytherin team had taken to playing dirty in their desperation to win. Already, James had twice narrowly avoided being hit in the head by a bludger, saved at the last moment by Sirius, who seemed more determined to hit the Slytherin's than actually defend his teammates.

"....and Knight passes to Brown, who streaks up towards the goal, that's a nice bludger by Black, clearing a path for Brown who passes to Potter..."

James sped towards the Slytherin goals, the Quaffle tucked under his arm. He spotted Holly already there, and tossed the Quaffle...

"KNIGHT SCORES! That's 60-40 to Gryffindor!"

Holly did a quick celebratory lap, then sped off after Jerome Tanks, Slytherin's best chaser.

James started after her, but spotted Kelly pulling into a spectacular dive.

The game seemed forgotten and players and audience alike watched on bated breath as Jess and Thomas Jenkins were neck and neck. Kelly stretched her hand as far as she could, her fingers desperately scrabbling for the tiny golden ball....

"BROWN CATCHES THE SNITCH! GRYFFINDOR WIN!"

James punched the air and sped towards Kelly and the team who were slowly descending in a great pile towards the ground. James spotted Remus and Peter sprinting towards them, waving Gryffindor flags frantically and calling Kelly's name.

"PARTY IN THE COMMON ROOM!" cried Sirius as he and Jonny did a strange celebratory dance. Holly jumped onto her cousin's back, screaming and laughing. James had never felt happier than he did at that moment.

The party was in full swing when James, Sirius and Holly returned from their showers. It lasted well into the night, until Professor McGonagall, although elated that the team had won, showed up to send everybody (including a protesting Sirius Black) to bed.

James had been surprised to see Lily join in, since she was such an advocate for following rules and such. He had assumed she had only gone along with it for Holly, but she genuinely seemed to have enjoyed herself.

Although, thinking of Lily only brought him sadness. She still wasn't talking to him, and it seemed it would quite a long time until she did. It won't always be this way, he thought. She'd like him someday, it might take a while, but James Potter wasn't ready to give up on Lily Evans just yet.

~**~

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter grabbed a compartment to themselves on the train ride home. The four boys passed away the time playing exploding snap, plotting further ways to annoy their teachers and of course coming up with new ways to torture the Slytherins. Remus was still finding it hard to believe his friends had accepted him for what he was. Rather than drive them away, Remus's 'furry little problem' that Sirius so kindly dubbed it one evening had only brought the closer together, cementing them not only as friends, but as brothers.

The door to their compartment slid open, and four small girls slipped in, giggling loudly.

"Can we help you?" asked Sirius, quirking an eyebrow. Chris shushed him, and glanced though the small gap in the door.

"They're gone, phew!" giggled Bridget.

"Who's gone?" asked James.

"Tim Stebbins and his mates," replied Holly as the four girls sat down, "He's been harassing us since we left Hogwarts."

"What do you mean 'harassing'?" asked James with narrowed eyes.

"Tim fancies Lily," Chris announced.

"What!" James cried. Lily glared at James, and turned back to Chris.

"I said _don't_ tell anyone," she hissed.

"Ooops, sorry," Chris grinned sheepishly. Lily rolled her eyes, but failed to hide her smirk.

"Calm down James, she doesn't like him," chuckled Holly, earning herself a glare from James.

"Anyway, it's not just Lily, Steven Wilsey actually asked Holly out!" countered Bridget, looking rather excited.

"Boy, those Ravenclaws don't hang around," muttered Sirius darkly. Remus threw him a confused look, and Sirius merely shrugged. The boys returned to their previous tasks, whilst the girls began chatting amongst themselves, most likely about the Ravenclaw boys.

The train ride continued uneventfully. Lily neither spoke to, nor acknowledged James. Holly simply answered any questions directed to her by Sirius rather icily, and Chris and Bridget seemed to just get along with everyone.

All too soon, the train pulled into Kings Cross station and the seven Gryffindors bade goodbye and headed home with their parents for Christmas.

~**~

In the quaint little village of Mould-on-the-Would, a small pocket of witches and wizards had built their homes grouped together. Over the years, Muggles had moved to the area, though to this day, the village remained one of the only places in England to still be mostly populated by those of magical blood.

The village was rather picturesque. Large stone cottages covered in ivy lined the cobbles streets, with small, overgrown front gardens making the area look rather mysterious, as many a Muggle had commented.

At number 4, on a street named Wicket Way, Holly Knight and her family prepared for the upcoming Christmas celebration. This year they would be hosting the annual Potter get together, before travelling back up to Godric's Hollow for the Potter's New Years Eve party. Well, most of them would, Holly would be remaining behind, the twelve year old deemed too young to attend the party, much to her annoyance. Luckily, James Potter, her cousin, would be spending the night, along with her older brother Jonny; the rule was until you were of age, Potter or not, you weren't allowed to the party.

Outside, snow had already begun to fall. The wind was picking up a lightly, causing the tiny white snowflakes to swirl in a mesmerising dance against the blackened night sky. Living near the village centre, the large Christmas tree could be seen clearly from the Knight's living room, red and gold and green and as many coloured lights imaginable twinkling merrily back at them. Baubles the size of your head hung (by magic, of course) from the spiky green branches, and at the very top, many, many feet up, a bright golden star shone far brighter than even it's real life counterparts.

In short, Mould-on-the-Would, at Christmas, looked like the perfect Christmas card scene.

"Holly! Can you let Vespa out!" came the screech of Mrs Knight. Holly sniggered; she loved her mother to death, but Merlin did she have a pair of lungs on her.

"You're the one who said keep her in on Christmas Eve!" Holly called back, dodging a bauble her brother chucked at her as she entered the hall.

The Knight's, like the Potter's, were a well off family, living comfortably in a larger than needed house, in a particularly famous wizarding village. George and Elizabeth Potter, Holly's grandparents, had been celebrated Aurors, both coming from wealthy pure-blooded families, thus allowing their children, Harold and Ivy to be considerably well off.

After releasing her midnight black owl (Holly swore she had never seen a more beautiful creature, though Jonny would often argue his toad, named after Friar Tuck, a character in a wonderful little Muggle story their father had read to them as a child, was far easier on the eyes), she returned to her living room, where her older brother was currently shaking presents, trying to decipher each rattle and shake.

"Quidditch gloves," she heard him reply absently, and shaking her head, Holly retreated to the kitchen.

Because her father was a muggle, Holly's mother had learnt, and now insisted, that cooking be done the Muggle way. From what her uncle and aunt had told her, Mrs Knight had had a hard time adjusting, but thankfully picked it up in the end. Currently, her mother was placing a fat turkey in the oven, whilst her father, flowery apron and all, was dicing various vegetables.

"Looks nice," the dark haired girl commented, eyeing the variety of fresh vegetables cluttering the kitchen benches, "What time are Uncle Harry and the others coming?"

"Probably around eleven," Mrs Knight answered absently, waving her wand at the sink (she never washed up the Muggle way).

Holly nodded, and after grabbing a carrot stick, wandered back into the living room, where her brother had seemingly finished trying to hear what his presents her, and had moved onto Holly's.

"I think the Potter's have sent you a Quaffle," Jonny said, placing a large present back onto the ground, "Sounds like it, anyway."

Holly quirked an eyebrow, "How can you know the sound of a Quaffle?"

Jonny winked at his sister, and returned to his task, "Years of practice, Jolly."

Holly rolled her eyes and collapsed into the squashy crimson sofa, kicking her legs up on the coffee table and grabbing her mother's copy of Witch Weekly.

No one quite noticed the flashes of light at first. The Knights weren't really paying attention. Jonny was still wrapped up in his present guessing game, Holly still immersed in her magazine, and both of their parents still busy in the kitchen.

It was only when they heard the screams, that they knew something was wrong.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Jonny jumped to his feet and ran to the living room

Window, closely followed by his sister, and yanked back the lacy nets. Just past the large Christmas tree in the village square, the Knight children watched in a mixture of awe and fear as a large group of cloaked people moved from house to house, flashes of red and green and gold lighting up the sky.

"Kids, get away from the window!" Mrs Knight came bursting into the living room, followed seconds later by her husband as a second terrified scream pierced the otherwise calm air. Mrs Knight already had her wand out, and was racing towards the front door. Holly looked fearfully at her brother, whose face was unreadable.

"Mum! What's going on!?" Holly cried, running after her mother.

"Get inside Holly!" Mrs Knight called back, sprinting down the garden path and out the front gate. Holly watched helplessly as her mother ran towards what was presumably some sort of battle.

"Voldemort," she whispered, feeling as though the air had been knocked out of her. She barely registered whoever it was shoving her out of the way, and only when a loud bang snapped her from her reverie, did she realise it was Jonny.

"Jonny, no! Get back here!"

"Floo to Uncle Harry's!" he called back, and with that, disappeared into the street. Holly stood stock still for a moment, her eyes glued to the growing crowd of people. She could just make out ther faces, it seemed witches and wizards were suddenly apparating to the scene of the attack.

"Holly! Holly, get in here!"

Holly whimpered slightly, and turned to go back inside and take her father to safety. He was a Muggle, and clearly in very grave danger.

But just as she turned to head back inside, Holly could have sworn she saw the flash of a silver beard.

* * *

_What do you think? Any good? Let me know :)_

_I hope you've all enjoyed the chapter, and I'd like once more to thank everybody for the amazing reviews on the last chapter. I'm still a little awestruck, if I'm honest!_


	14. Animagi

_A/N: Chapter fourteen is here :D Hope you all like it!_

_review responses:_

_**000kayko000: **Here it is XD hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading!_

_**Geniia:** Thank you :) Yes, it was Dumbledore, well spotted! Yeah, when I began writing Jonny, he reminded me of Oliver too, I'm glad you like him. Yup! Gary Flint is Marcus' dad (atleast in my story he is) and he's just as mean as his son will be! I try to update everyday, at the very least, every other day, I don't like to keep you guys waiting too long. I actually find Lily and James' relationship hard to write sometimes, there's such a fine line between general dislike and Lily being horrible, which I'll admit I've crossed a few times, but I've tried not to. Glad you're enjoying th story so far, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter too, thanks for reading :)_

_**evershort:** Here it is! Hope it's worth the wait :D I try to suprise you guys, I'm glad it worked haha. Well, I know it can get frustrating waiting a long time for updates, but I'm starting to feel the pressure, so I understand why authors would want to wait aswell. I'll keep at it though, and ensure a new chapter everyday (or atleast every other day). Glad you love it :D Thank you for reading, as always, and please enjoy this next chapter._

_**quirky-as-alice:** He frightens me too, haha! Thanks for reading, enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**Fairywolf:** Really? Brill! I've enjoyed writing the Hogwarts years so much, I don't think I could stop writing after seventh year, I'm just as eager to see where their lives lead! Yes, it was Dumbledore, and you're right! He is a brilliant heroic figure, and it'll be nice to write about his leading of the OOTP too! Haha yeah, I figured I'd keep their names in the family :) I'll definately take it into consideration, I'm always open to new ideas, and I think writing about another wizarding school would be brilliant! We don't know much about them, so the sky really would be the limit! Oh and yes, if I ever were to write my own book, fantasy/supernatural would definitely be the genre, it's my fave, and I couldn't imagine writing anything other than that! Thank you, as always, for reading, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!_

_**appleeater123:** I can't put your mind at rest without giving it away :( I'm sure you'll like the chapter though ;) thanks for reading!_

_**Jessica F:** Thank you! Welcome to my story :) I'm always up for constructive critisism, don't worry :) Yes, Sirius is probably one of my favourite characters too, and I understand his conflict. However, since he is only in his second year, I figured that since the war hasn't reached it's height's yet, his parents wouldn't be as bad just yet. I think in later chapters (you mightn't if read them yet) you'll see a bit of conflict, but in my story Sirius is rarely one to talk things through, which you said you thought he was like, so yay! I'll deffinitely try harder to put some more of that in, and hopefully it'll make the story more enjoyable :) As for Remus, I'm trying to put across that he isn't as close to the others (yet) but in later chapters you'll see why (obviously when the discovery of his lycanthropy is up, which I've already written). As for Bella, yes, I think her true love was Voldemort, though Rodolphus was the respectable pure-blooded marriage, and most likely forced. Anyway, thanks for the tips, I'll make sure they're adressed, and thank you for reading and reviewing, I hope you like the future chapters you read, and this one too!_

_**Bookworm315:** Thank you! It's fine, oh how I miss my school days *sigh* work sucks. Anywhoo, yes! It was Dumbledore :D I love him, I need to write him in more often tbh. nd I think you'll like this chapter *smiles mysteriously* thank you for reading as usual, and please enjoy the next chapter!_

_**splatteredpaint:** Here it is! Hope it's worth the wait! Thank you! Yeah, I'm pretty supersticious, so I thought I'd slip it into the story :D Haha! I do it too! But I'm terrible at guessing. Yeah, although I'll admit it took all self constraint and will power I had not to skip ahead to the end of Deathly Hallows, I'm suprised I managed it! Ramblings are fun, and yours are always brill to read! Keep them up :D Thank you for reading, as always, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter (sorry I made you wait!)_

_on with the show :D_

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

**_Animagi_**

Loud cracks and flashes of light wrought the air. The snow that once fell with such beauty and grace now plummeted to the ground with frightening force. Around him, the screams of terrified Muggles who had not a clue what was going on caused the faintest of smiles to pull across his face.

Scarlet eyes gleamed with anticipation, his faithful servants mere blurs as they carried out his bidding. He continued to ignore it, seemingly gliding towards the stone cottage he had intended to – shall we say – pay a visit.

The wizarding world would do well to heed his warning, and understand that he was no mere political visionary. His plan would succeed; loss of life made no difference to him. No one could stand in his way, no one could stop him. It was what the world needed, starting with villages such as this.

"You have no place here, Tom...leave this village in peace."

Some thought the voice was calm and reassuring...to him; it was a mere annoyance, like the scratch of nails on a blackboard. Turning ever so slightly, enough to just have him within his sights, the robed man with the scarlet eyes smirked menacingly.

"Peace is a thing of the past, Dumbledore."

~**~

Holly and her father tumbled out of the Potter's fire place in a cloud of soot, coughing loudly and scrambling to get to their feet. The two were quickly pulled up by a short, plumpish woman and a taller, young boy.

"Thank Merlin you're alright," Mrs Potter pulled Holly into a backbreaking embrace, her hand still clutching Mr Knight's arm. Beside her, James stood looking positively gaunt.

"James, take Holly upstairs, and stay there," without room for protest, Mrs Potter pushed the twelve year olds out of the living room and into the hallway, quickly disappearing with Mr Knight.

The two stared at each other for a moment, before James pulled his cousin into a tight hug.

"They called dad...said it was right by your house," Holly was surprised to hear his voice quavering, "Mum wanted to come and get you, but dad made us stay here," he pulled back, eyes sparkling behind his round rimmed glasses. Holly merely nodded, and swallowed audibly. Her heart was still racing, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. Jonny and her mother were out there, fighting still.

"Come on," James grabbed his cousin's hand and dragged her up the sizeable flight of stairs, not stopping until the pair had reached his room.

"Jonny went too," Holly finally said, as James closed the door and leant back against it, "I'll kill him when I see him...thinks he's some bloody hero."

James pushed back his glasses and rubbed his eyes wearily. Of all nights, it had to be Christmas Eve.

"He'll be alright...they both will," he said after a moment.

Holly could only nod, her eyes starting to tear up. James hurried over to her, and after wrapping his arms around her, lay down on his large four poster bed, just like they used to do when they were little, when one of them felt scared. It was all he could think to do, when he himself hadn't a clue whether or not everything would be alright.

~**~

_**Attack in Mould-on-the-Wold leaves nine dead.**_

_At around eight-thirty last night, confirmed reports have told us that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named carried out yet another attack against the Wizarding world. This time, the target Mould-on-the-Wold, notable for being one of the only wizarding villages left in Britain._

"_This attack has moved things up a notch," top Auror Harold Potter, 43, confirmed last night, "By attacking a wizarding population, You-Know-Who has made it plain to see he is relentless in his campaign and uncaring of who falls in his path – be they pure-blood or Muggle-born."_

_The list of confirmed dead was released on site, seven Muggles perished in the attack, whilst Jeremy Held, 67 and his wife Helena, 64, were the only known wizarding casualties. The Held's made headlines this week for leading a petition to allow wizards to safe-guard Muggle neighbours, it is thought this is the reason the pair were targeted. Mr Held, former head of the Obliviator squad for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, spoke out against...._

"JAMES! HOLLY!"

The two dark haired twelve year olds snapped their heads up from the copy of the _Prophet_ they were reading, and watched as Mrs Potter hurried into the room, closely followed by none other than Sirius Black, Lily Evans and Christina Coddlesworth. The two glanced in confusion at each other, and it was only when Holly was almost knocked from her seat by Sirius, that they were able to make a safe guess as to why they were hear.

"Chris came to get me," Lily had now pushed Sirius aside, sending him flying and had attached herself to Holly, "I don't get the Prophet, but she told me what happened! I was so scared!"

Holly gave James a small smile as she patted Lily's back, whilst Chris came to join the group hug Lily had started. Beside him, Sirius was watching Holly with a strange look on his face.

"How'd you get here?" James turned to his best friend.

Sirius tore his eyes away from the girls, and grinned, "Sneaked out, had to knock Kreacher over the head with a pan, mind you, but he shouldn't wake up for awhile," Sirius glanced back at Holly, who was whispering with her friends, "What happened?"

James pulled out a stool for he and his friend, running a hand through his hair as he did so and ignoring the urge to just ignore Sirius and stare at Lily.

"Dad's work-mate turned up last night saying Mould-on-the-Wold had been attacked, about five minutes later Holly and Uncle Ian turned up," he ran his hand through his hair once again, "Jonny and his mum had gone to fight, but they're alright," he added quickly at Sirius' look of concern.

Sirius nodded, exhaling loudly, "Some Christmas this is, eh?"

James snorted, and shoved Sirius slightly, "So what're you gonna do? Go back home?"

Sirius shrugged, kicking his feet and tapping the kitchen counter, "Probably, unless your mum's making dinner?" he added with a mischievous grin. James rolled his eyes, but grinned nonetheless.

"James, me and Lily are gonna go to Chris', we'll see you back at school, alright?"

James looked up at Holly, his eyes darting to Lily, who was staring at anything _but_ him. He sighed, and nodded, waving a goodbye to the girls, then slumping in his seat.

"She still won't even look at me," he mumbled moodily.

Sirius patted his friend on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it mate, it's her loss, now," Sirius began rubbing his hands together, "Where's this turkey?"

James, though still slightly put out by Lily's blatant ignoring of him, couldn't help but grin. Sirius always had a way of cheering him up.

"Come on, you've never met my mum and dad before, have you?"

Sirius shook his head, "Brief encounter at the train station, but no," the two boys stood, and proceeded to head to the living room where Mr Potter, Mrs Potter and the Knights were discussing last night's events. Luckily, none of the Knight family had been killed in the attack, though Jonny did return in the early hours of the morning sporting a nasty cut on the side of his face.

"Mum, dad?"

James pushed the living room door open, and found his parents sitting alone, talking in hushed whispers. The Potter's living room was a cavernous area, with a large high ceiling, bay windows and decorated in colours reminiscent of the Gryffindor common room.

"Where's Uncle Ian and Aunt Ivy?"

Mrs Potter looked up to see her son and Sirius standing in the doorway, and smiled warmly.

"They've taken Holly to Christina's, then they both have to get into work," Mrs Potter waved her wand, vanishing a large stack of parchment she and her husband had been looking at, "And you must be Sirius, I remember you from the platform."

Sirius was slightly taken aback by Mrs Potter. She jumped to her feet, a warm smile lighting up her face.

"Would you like some dinner dear? We haven't eaten yet, what with all that's been going on," Mrs Potter didn't even wait for an answer, and hurried into the kitchen without a moment's pause.

"She's always like that, feeds everyone who comes here," chuckled James, "Dad, you remember Sirius don't you?"

Mr Potter set down his quill and smiled at James and Sirius, "Of course I do, it's good to see you again, Sirius."

"It's nice to finally come here," grinned Sirius. James looked an awful lot like Mr Potter. They had the same messy dark hair, though Mr Potter's was streaked with several silver strands. They had the same long nose, the same round rimmed glasses, the same tall build (though James was still a little gangly). However Mr Potter's eyes, he noticed, were the same as Holly's, whereas James must have inherited his mother's eyes.

"Will you be spending the rest of the holidays here, Sirius?" Mr Potter asked, standing up and stretching. Sirius glanced at James, then shook his head.

"Uhh, no, I'll have to go back soon, actually," Sirius began to look a little uncomfortable, and James chewed his lip, wondering just how much trouble his friend would get into for sneaking out.

"Wanna come see my room? Mum'll be awhile with the food," James asked brightly. Sirius had a feeling he was trying to keep his thoughts occupied, and was extremely grateful for it.

He'd deal with his parents when he got home.

~**~

"Good to be back, eh?"

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter made their way into the Great Hall, as classes began after the Christmas holidays. The hall was as loud as usual, with its occupants all chatting about their holidays and of course, about the attack in Mould-on-the-Wold.

The Knights had spent the remainder of the holidays with the Potters, whilst the village was recovering from the attack. Several houses had been badly damaged, and Minister Bagnold had ordered extra protection for the village's residents. Holly had stayed at Christina's for a few days, before returning to her cousins, considerably happier than before. Sirius had spent most of Christmas day at James' until he was forced to go back and face his parents. Luckily, they hadn't noticed he had even left, the knock on Kreachers head apparently making him forget Sirius had left. James didn't know what was worse; fearing your parent's anger for sneaking out, or them not even noticing. Sirius did seem a little subdued when he'd told them, but had quickly perked up when the train back to Hogwarts began to move.

The four boys took their seats in their usual spot, about halfway up the Gryffindor table. The girls weren't there yet, however waiting for them, was Regulus.

"Hey little bro," greeted Sirius, patting his younger brother on the back. Regulus grinned at his brother and his friends, whom he had become quite close with since starting Hogwarts.

"Hi Sirius, hi guys," he greeted enthusiastically.

"Hey Reg, how ya doin," smiled James, taking a seat opposite Sirius and his brother.

Regulus shrugged, "Good I guess, I'm not looking forward to the homework; Sirius said you get loads because of the exams."

"Yeah you do, but they're nothing to worry about, Sirius and me passed and we _never_ do homework!"

Regulus chuckled as Remus gave James a stern look.

"Great example to be setting for him there, Sirius."

James shrugged, "If he's anything like him," he pointed at Sirius who was shovelling bacon and eggs into his mouth, "He's a lost cause anyway."

Peter and Regulus chuckled at Sirius, and pulled their own breakfast towards them.

"Hey Reg!"

The five boys looked up and saw two small Slytherin first years making their way towards the Gryffindor table, glaring at the students as they passed.

"Hi Wazale, hi Timothy," Regulus jumped from his seat to greet his friends. James and Remus glanced at Sirius, who was glaring at the two boys.

"Guys, this is Wazale Grover and Timothy Crabbe, they're in my year too!"

Sirius nodded slowly, not taking his eyes of the two boys. Both were built similarly, both were stocky, with dark hair and unpleasant expressions on their faces. Sirius got the impression the pair weren't too bright, but were bad news nonetheless.

"Guys this is my brother Sirius, and his friends James, Remus and Peter," Regulus indicated to the four boys. Crabbe and Grover grunted in acknowledgment, and turned to Regulus.

"So Reg, we're meeting up with a few of the others later to discuss that thing we told you about," at this Crabbe smirked at Sirius, "Your mum and dad may have mentioned it."

Regulus nodded. Sirius looked between the three Slytherin's, completely perplexed.

"What thing, what's he on about?"

Regulus' smile faltered a little, and he looked away.

"Oh, nothing, just a little thing me and some other friends are working on," he mumbled.

Sirius bit his lip, and frowned.

"What are you working on, you can tell me."

"Why would he tell you? Gryffindor scum," spat Grover.

Sirius stared incredulously at the young Slytherin. He looked from James, to Remus, to Peter, who all seemed to be as shocked as he was.

"What did you say to me?"

"I said, why the hell would he tell you?"

Sirius jumped to his feet, wand at the ready.

"Sirius," Remus said in a warning tone. James, however, stood up to join his friend.

"You think you're so clever? We all know who the real scum here is," spat James.

"POTTER!"

James groaned, "Oh for crying out loud, _every_ time!"

James turned slowly and came face to face with Lily.

"Yes Evans," he ran his hand through his hair, although it seemed more out of exasperation than to achieve the messed up look.

"Why did you just call this _first year_ scum?!" she seethed.

"Because he called Sirius scum first," explained James lamely.

"Oh real mature Potter, sit down," she spat. James rolled his eyes and sat down, not really in the mood for an argument. Sirius however, hadn't moved an inch.

"You too Black, sit down."

"Don't tell me what to do, Evans," hissed Sirius.

"Please, can we not do this," sighed Bridget, appearing from behind Lily.

"Don't talk to her like that!" snapped Holly, who appeared at Lily's side.

"Stay out of this Knight," barked Sirius.

"Guys calm down," groaned Chris, who appeared on Lily's other side, "They're gone."

Sirius frowned, and saw that Regulus, Crabbe and Goyle had indeed left and went back to the Slytherin table.

"Damn it!!" yelled Sirius, kicking the table so that several goblets of pumpkin juice tipped over.

"Mr Black is something wrong," asked Professor McGonagall sternly, who had now joined the small group.

"Oh you think," said Sirius sarcastically. McGonagall's nose flared.

"Mr Black, don't ever let me hear you speak to a member of staff like that again!"

Sirius exhaled loudly, and bowed his head.

"Is something wrong Minerva?"

Everybody turned and saw Professor Dumbledore eyeing the small group with an amused sparkle in his eyes.

"Mr Black seems to have quite the attitude problem," said McGonagall, still staring at Sirius. Professor Dumbledore nodded slowly, eyeing Sirius interestedly.

"Mr Black, would you like to come with me?"

Dumbledore placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder, and steered him from the hall. McGonagall glanced at his friends, then went back to the staff table. Lily, Holly and Chris sat down next to the boys, and pulled their breakfast towards them.

James glanced at Lily, who was chatting away with Holly, Bridget and Chris as if nothing had happened.

"Did you have to get involved Evans?" asked James quietly.

Lily scowled, and turned to look at James.

"When you're bullying first years, yes, I do."

James pushed his glasses back and rubbed his eyes, "We weren't bullying them, they called Sirius Gryffindor scum, besides, why do you care, they're Slytherins".

Lily glowered at James, "So just because they're Slytherins that gives you the right to call them scum? Grow up Potter."

"Why are you so concerned? Oh wait, I forgot, dear Snivellus is a Slytherin, isn't he?" snarled James, his temper slowly rising.

"Severus is one of my best friends Potter," snapped Lily, "But that is _not_ why I choose to stick up for those you feel the need to pick on!"

"Whatever Evans, you stick up for your mates, I'll stick up for mine," with that, James stood up, and left the table. Peter glanced at the girls, then followed suit. Remus, however, stayed.

"Remus why are you even friends with those lot?" asked Lily.

Remus frowned, "They're the best friends I've ever had Lily. I hope someday you can see they're not bad people, especially James."

He stood up, offered a small smile, and left the table. Lily's face fell a little, and she returned to her breakfast in silence. Holly, Bridget and Chris looked sadly at each other. They all knew James was a nice person deep down. He was just a little...silly sometimes.

~**~

It wasn't until second lesson when Sirius returned from his meeting with Dumbledore. He seemed a little quieter than usual, however wasted no time in joining James to bewitch Nancy Dunn's seat to pull itself out every time she tried to sit down, earning the two of them detention and rather a large round of applause from many second year girls who had had 'run ins' with Nancy.

After that, he seemed to return to normal, however he didn't tell anyone what he and Dumbledore had talked about, much like the previous year, when his parents had come up to the school to discuss his house choices. Every time they asked, he would just say it was between he and Dumbledore, and to leave it at that. James wondered if Sirius would ever truly open up to his friends; the other three did, James often complained about Lily, Remus of course, had dropped a rather huge bombshell on the group, and even Peter had confided in his friends about his father, who seemed to be a bit like Sirius' family. However, when it came to the Black's, Sirius remained tight lipped. He assumed that Sirius maybe thought that if he didn't talk about them, whatever was going on would go away.

Fat chance.

Out of respect of his privacy (and fear of his wand), James dropped the subject quickly. He would tell them when he was ready, after all.

The week passed as usual, with the second years preparing for yet more exams, and Lily and James continuing their ongoing bickering and silence between. James, Sirius and Peter had also spent several nights in the library, researching werewolves. The boys were determined to find a way to help Remus; but it seemed futile.

All in all, even though there were large differences and many arguments between certain members of the Gryffindor clan, the eight Gryffindors were becoming fast friends, in their own way at least.

~**~

Remus had left yet again for the Shrieking Shack to go and transform. James and the others had still not told him they knew where he went, and had instead spent all of their efforts researching werewolves in the hopes of coming across something that may help. Remus didn't know about it however, James was sure that if he did he would have protested. But James couldn't just sit back and do nothing. Remus was one of his best friends, and if Remus was going through a bad time, it reflected upon the rest of the group.

After sneaking into the library with the help of James' invisibility cloak, James, Sirius and Peter scoured the bookcases looking for information on werewolves. So far, they hadn't come across anything they already didn't know. Basically, there was no known cure for a werewolf bite, so that ruled out ridding Remus of his problem. Also, a werewolf was far too dangerous to be around, so that ruled out keeping him company during transformations. The three boys were determined, however, to find something – anything – to help.

"There's got to be something!" exclaimed Sirius, snapping his book shut. James shrugged sadly, his eyes never leaving the page of the book he was reading.

"If only we could...I dunno, find some animals to keep him company, werewolves are only dangerous to humans, it says they're not a threat to animals," said Peter pointing to the passage he was reading.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Yeah Pete, that's what we need, pets for a werewolf!"

James' eyes widened. He stared at Sirius and Peter with slowly spreading grin.

"Peter...you're a genius!"

"I am?" said Peter in surprise.

"He is?" said Sirius sceptically.

James nodded, and disappeared back into the rows of books. He returned a few minutes later, and slammed a rather dusty looking book down on the desk in front of Sirius.

"The Art of the Animagus...what," his eyes slowly rounded, "Oh...Peter, you are a genius!"

Peter blushed, seeming quite proud of himself, though truth be told, he didn't really understand what was going on.

"If werewolves aren't dangerous to animals...and we _become_ animals," he pointed to the book, "At least we can keep Remus company!"

Sirius nodded, "He won't have to be alone during the transformations, hell, we could even get him out of that shack and keep an eye on him!"

Peter gasped, finally cottoning on, and gazed at his friends in awe. James flipped through the book, and frowned.

"It'll be tough, this book's from the restricted section too, so we'll only be able to study by night...unless..."

"Unless we get Jonny to get it out for us, he's a prefect so they won't ask questions," Sirius finished his sentence.

"But...wont _he_ be suspicious?" asked Peter.

James waved his hand, "Naaa, Jonny never questions anything, in fact, if he knew he'd probably encourage us, you know what he's like."

Sirius glanced at James, then Peter.

"What do you say boys, wanna give it a go?"

James nodded immediately; Peter however, seemed a little reluctant.

"You two are so much smarter than me...I'll never be able to do it."

"Mate, we'll give you all the help you can get," said James firmly, "We can do this."

Sirius nodded, as did Peter.

"So we're doing it?" asked James.

"Of course," said Sirius.

"Yeah....for Remus," replied Peter.

James and Sirius grinned, "For Remus."

~**~

Remus returned the next night looking even more haggard than usual. He even seemed to be getting a few grey hairs in his sandy blonde hair, though most who noticed and knew of his mother attributed it to stress.

He found the boys sitting in their favourite armchairs by the fire, chatting amongst themselves. Remus crossed the room quickly and gingerly lowered himself into an empty chair; his bones were still aching and he'd acquired a few new bruises last night.

"What?" Remus asked warily as soon as he'd gotten comfortable. James, Sirius and Peter were all grinning at Remus strangely, their eyes sparkling. These were all signs of a plan.

"We have a proposition for you," started James.

"A way to ease the loneliness of your transformations," Sirius said dramatically.

"I practically came up with it!" piped up Peter.

Remus eyed the three boys with a frown on his face, "I already told you, there's nothing that can be done."

"Oh we know there's nothing to _cure_ you, but we can help you...in a way," James smiled.

"What would you say if we told you we know you visit that house you go into to transform?" asked Sirius.

Remus paled. "Guys...I...I'm sorry I didn't...it's just...I thought –"

James held up his hand, "We dont hold anything against you for not telling us."

Remus sighed in relief, "How did you find out about the shack?"

"We followed you," said Sirius bluntly, "We saw you and Pomfrey out of the window heading for the Whomping Willow, so we followed you."

"You...you didn't...see me?" asked Remus quietly.

"No," said James, "Peter was wetting himself so we had to go back."

"Hey! I was not wetting myself," exclaimed Peter.

"Okay guys, back to the idea," said Sirius, trying to hide his smirk.

"Oh yeah, Remus, we have a fool proof idea that will not only provide you company during those lonely wolfish nights, but maybe even a little fun and general maraudery too."

"Maraudery...I like that," grinned Sirius, "Because we are of course just a bunch of Marauders, wreaking havoc where ever we set foot!"

"Maraudery isn't even a word," chuckled Remus, "But anyway, back to the 'foolproof' plan?"

"Oh yeah, well, simply put, we are going to become Animagi so we can keep you company when you transform."

James waited for Remus to proclaim the plan sheer brilliance, to praise his friends on such an excellent suggestion, and set about planning their study sessions to become Animagi.

"No."

"Sorry?" said James, confused as to why he was saying no.

"I said no. I won't let you do that...it's too dangerous."

"Aha, but it isn't," grinned Sirius, "You know what's are only dangerous to humans."

Remus continued to shake his head, "Do you even know how illegal and dangerous that is?"

James and Sirius glanced at each other, and shrugged, "So," they chorused.

Remus rolled his eyes, "Thanks guys, but I can't let you do that...it was...it was really thoughtful though," he added with a slight sparkle in his eye.

Sirius frowned, "What if we said we're going to do it anyway, with or without your consent?"

Remus glared at Sirius, "Don't, I couldn't let you risk that – no, I simply refuse!"

James grinned evilly at Sirius, "Oh, he 'simply refuses', does he?"

"Guys," said Remus wearily.

"Well I'm afraid, Mr Lupin, that we _simply_ protest," chuckled Sirius.

"Guys stop it".

"Oh no Lupin, we've already decided, we're doing this!" said James firmly.

Remus sighed in defeat, far too tired to argue, and looked at the determined faces of his friends.

"You're really going to do this?" he asked.

All three boys nodded.

"You're one of our best mates Remus, how can we just sit back when you go through something like that and do nothing," reasoned Sirius.

Remus shook his head.

"Besides, it'll be cool to change into an animal...I'm thinking a lion!" James roared. The four boys burst into fits of laughter.

"What about you Sirius?" asked Peter.

"I'm thinking...a bird," he spread his arms and began running around the room, flapping them like a lunatic and cuckawing.

"What about you Pete?" said James, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Oh...I dunno...umm...a rat?"

Sirius snorted, "Why would you wanna be a rat?"

Peter shrugged, "I've always thought they were cool."

"You do realise you dont have a choice in what you become," said Remus amusedly.

James and Sirius frowned, "Why not?" asked James.

"Your Animagus form will represent the animal you are most like in characteristics," explained Remus, "You turn into what you would have been had you been born an animal".

"Definitely a lion then," laughed James.

"A peacock!" cried Sirius, "'Cause I'm pretty."

James tossed a cushion at Sirius, and the two began a rather rough cushion fight. Peter hid behind a table as Sirius pounced on James and began play fighting with him. Remus, however, watched them with a smile. They were ready to break laws for him, risk their own wellbeing. A slow grin spread across his face. He had the best friends in the world; he truly was the luckiest boy who had ever lived.

"Hey, about that Marauders thing," started James, "I really like it, I think it should be our group name or motto or something."

Sirius laughed out loud, "Definitely. Well, my fellow Marauders, I think we'd better go to bed."

"I doubt that's ever been said by a Marauder before," whispered Remus to Peter, who giggled.

~**~

The next morning, a tired eyed group of Gryffindors spent the rest of the day sleeping, thankful it was Sunday. After having dinner, the four boys retreated to the common room to tackle the mountain of homework they'd been given.

"Guys! Over here!"

James spotted Chris waving them over, and smiled. They took seats next to the four girls, Lily determinedly turning straight to Bridget and striking up a completely random conversation. James sighed, but was far too tired to even try to reconcile with her. It would have to wait until another day.

"You four look pretty tired, what were you doing last night?" asked Chris.

James shrugged, "Up all night planning our next prank," he grinned. Lily did her best to hold her tongue; she really wasn't up for another shouting match.

Bridget chuckled, and shook her head, "It's a wonder you're still in this school, the amount of stuff you've gotten away with."

James laughed, "I guess the teachers just dont have the heart to kick us out, I mean, it would be pretty boring around here without us."

Lily snorted, and continued scribbling on her parchment. James rolled his eyes and pulled out his potions book.

"So, did you hear the bad news," grinned Chris.

"Chris, shut up," snapped Lily. Chris rolled her eyes and turned to James and the boys.

"Lily's going out with Tim Stebbins."

"We're not going out!" cried Lily, "He just asked me if I'd help him with Charms."

"Whatever, he soooo likes you," giggled Chris. Holly threw her a warning glance, and subtly nodded towards James, who had a scowl on his face.

"Stebbins? That idiot who was following you on the train?"

"James," warned Remus.

"Yes, I mean, no, he's not an idiot, but he was talking to us on the train," snapped Lily. James' scowl deepened.

"Why the hell are you studying with him?!" cried James.

"Why the hell do you care?!" shouted Lily.

"Oh boy," groaned Bridget.

"Because he's an idiot, have you even seen him on the Quidditch pitch?" James and Sirius both began laughing heartily.

"Not everything is about Quidditch Potter, and I can study with whomever I please," spat Lily.

James scowled, and turned back to his potions book. Lily watched him carefully for a second, before turning back to her own homework. Remus and Sirius exchanged knowing looks, then proceeded to pull out their own books.

"So Sirius, you said you were having a bit of trouble in Herbology," asked Chris, hoping to take everyone's minds off the frequently common arguments.

"Oh yeah, I know you're one of the best in the year, I was wondering if you could study with me or something," Sirius grinned. Chris nodded, and turned back to her book. Holly scowled, and glanced between the two of them. She studied Sirius for a moment. He certainly was handsome, dark hair that fell effortlessly into stormy grey eyes, haughty composure and devilish grin. But then again, he was arrogant, self obsessed and uncaring, and in Holly's eyes, those qualities outweighed whatever charm he possessed. Silently giggling to herself, Holly shook her head. Chris could have Sirius if she wanted him. Holly Knight was not one to go after someone as conceited as Sirius Black.

After an hour or so of mostly silent studying, the eight Gryffindors bade each other goodnight, and dragged themselves up to bed.

Watching them intently, was a tall handsome sixth year by the name of Jonathan Knight. He was close to them all, be they family or friends. He chuckled to himself, and turned to wake Olivia who was lightly dozing in his arms. Whether those eight Gryffindors liked it or not, Jonny could see there was a bond between them all, a bond that he hoped would only grow stronger in time. In the dark days that were sure to come, Jonny believed that family and friends were their only protection, that love between one another was their strongest ally. Just as long as that love didn't involve any boys and his little sister, he was perfectly content to sit back and watch the friendships unfold.

* * *

_There we have it! Another chapter for you all to read! Like it? Loathe it? Let me know :)_

_Grace ~_


	15. The Woes of Miss Evans

_A/N: Chapter fifteen is here! Enjoy!_

_review responses: _

_**Fairywolf:** I'm glad it was worth the wait :D I'm trying to space everything out realistically, but it does get hard when I find a particular plot line I want to write really badly! Thank you! It really brightens my day to hear that, but there are some real gems on here, you should have a read, I promise you'll enjoy! Don't worry, like I said, I've tried to space everything out, though I have to admit I had forgotten Sirius had said that, so thanks for reminding me! Please enjoy the next chapter, and thank you for reading :)_

_**VampireWithTheGoldenEyes:** Well, he had to be in the Marauders for something, right :D Ahhh GCSE's, I remember mine, I swear I almost had a breakdown, but really, they're not as hard as the teachers make them out to be. If I'm honest, I thought the mocks were harder than the actual tests, so no worries. Revise!!!!! (and finished coursework, if you have any!!!) my story can wait :D Thank you very much for reading, please enjoy this chapter, and good luck with your GCSE's!_

_**Geniia:** Your welcome! Oh I can't wait for the map...and when they finally become animagi...and Snape's Worst Memory...and just...everything! Don't worry, Remus' time of romance will come, (I already know who he's going to end up with, but I'm not telling just yet :P) Thank you :D Yes, Crabbe is Vincent's father, and hopefully there'll be a few more names you'll recognise, so keep an eye out :D Thank you for reading, and I hope you like this chapter too._

_**BloodMoonRising:** Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Please enjoy this chapter just as much, and thank you for reading!_

_**quirky-as-alice:** Haha, he does, but then again, he is a Black! Thank you very much for reading, I hope you like this chapter too!_

_**splatteredpaint:** I'm not too fond of rats either, lol. Oh, I'd definitely be a penguin. I love them, especially the way they walk :D Yes! The Marauders have begun! And things will only get worse (or better, whichever way you look at it) from now on! I love writing the blossoming relationships, I just wish they'd hurry up and get older so they can do something about it! Thank you for reading, as always, and please enjoy this chapter!_

_**Bookworm315:** Thank you! I'm sorry I didn't put much on Sirius staying at the Potter's, but he still has to spend summers and christmas's there, so there'll be plenty of time for it, I promise :) There'll be plenty more from the Marauders and their animagi quest, and of course from You-Know-Who, I hope you'll like it! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the next chapter._

_**evershort:** Thank you! :O a snow day? You're so lucky! It hasn't snowed at all where I live (and they say Britain is cold...pfft!) Oh I couldn't kill Jonny, I love him too! He's one of my favourites! Thank you for reading, as always, and enjoy the next chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I'm making no money from this...so don't sue me! J.K owns everything, including all of my time spent reading her books (which, I must say, is a lot!)_

_

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

**_The Woes of Miss Evans_**

"....and it's Brown to Potter, Potter streaking up the pitch and straight towards the goal. A good find this year of Captain Jonathan Knight, Potter has more than proved himself in only two games he is one of the best chasers we Gryffindors have seen in years..."

James glanced around as he sped towards the goal. Two Ravenclaw chasers were closing in. He turned sharply and tossed the Quaffle to Holly. The pair mirrored each other's moves and headed for the goals. Holly pulled up and dropped the Quaffle back down to James...

"POTTER SCORES! 70-50 TO GRYFFINDOR!"

James high fived Sirius as he passed him, and took off after the Quaffle. Chants of 'Go Go Gryffindor' and 'Potter, Potter' rang out through the pitch. James felt on top of the world.

"...and Brown intercepts the Quaffle once again, it seems boy Knight has put together too strong of a team to be beaten this year, Brown passes to Potter, who spectacularly dodges a bludger by Tim Stebbins, Ravenclaws newest member, passes to girl Knight, she shoots...TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!"

James pulled his cousin into a quick hug before tearing back after the Ravenclaw chasers. The game was going better than they'd thought, it was in the bag.

"...nice pass by Knight to Brown...wait...Fredrics is into a dive...the snitch has been spotted..."

James stopped and whipped his head around. Kelly was racing towards the ground, her arm outstretched.

"Come on Kelly.....come on..." he urged.

"JAMES! WATCH OUT!"

~**~

Something blurry was leaning over him; he assumed this was because he wasn't wearing his glasses, though it could have had something to do with the dull ache in his head. James tried to turn to find them when a sharp pain ripped through his skull, causing him to groan. He saw someone turn away, then place his glasses onto his face.

"James...mate are you alright?"

James squinted; adjusting his eyes to the light, and saw the identically worried faces of his friends.

"What...what happened," his throat was a little scratchy, he must need a drink.

"You got hit by a bludger just as the game ended...bloody hell you gave us a scare," chuckled Sirius. James laughed, then winced, "Pass me a drink will you?"

Remus, who was standing next to Sirius, looking as pale as if it was near a full moon (the full moon wasn't for another three weeks, so that couldn't be it), passed him a small glass of water. James gratefully gulped the cool liquid, and gingerly pushed himself up into a sitting position. It was then that he noticed Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris, all equally pale and red eyed.

"Hi girls, couldn't stay away huh?" he joked croakily. For once, Lily merely rolled her eyes, though she was smiling.

"At least we know the bludger didn't affect his ego," she smiled.

James shrugged, secretly elated that she at least wasn't shouting at him. But then again, as much as Lily had a go at him, he knew she was a nice girl at heart.

"So...did we win?"

"230-50, Kelly caught the snitch just as you were hit," said Holly proudly, though her eyes were swimming with tears.

James grinned, and noticed the pain in his head was lessening.

"Only James could get hit with a bludger _after_ a game had finished," snorted Sirius. The eight friends laughed, happy that James was alright.

"Alright, visiting time is over, Mr Potter needs his rest!"

Madam Pomfrey bustled over with a cup of steaming liquid, and thrust it into James' hand.

"Drink up; we don't want you getting a concussion."

James rolled his eyes and downed the goblet of bitter liquid. He gagged a little, and pushed the glass away.

"Well, we'll see ya tomorrow mate," Sirius clapped him on the shoulder, and after the others had bade goodbye, left them room. Lily however, hung back a little.

"Yes Evans?" asked James, settling back into his pillows.

Lily watched him for a moment, then gave him a small smile.

"I'm glad you're alright." She turned quickly and hurried out of the room, leaving a stunned, yet grinning James Potter in her wake.

~**~

It had been many years since the Gryffindor team had even won a game, never mind two in a row. James returned from the hospital wing halfway through their last lesson that day (potions) to a hearty round of applause from the Gryffindors and just as many boos and hisses from the Slytherins. Professor Slughorn seemed not to notice, and was far more interested in the Wiggenweld potion Lily was currently brewing.

"How're you feeling mate?" asked Sirius as James took his seat next to his potions partner (Slughorn had told them that he would allow them to pick their own partners for the first two years, but once they reached third year he would be choosing their partners).

"Okay, my head isn't hurting anymore," said James.

"Ahhh, Mr Potter, good to see you up and about my lad," Professor Slughorn clapped James on the back, his gooseberry coloured eyes shining.

"Thanks Professor," grinned James.

"And Mr Black, brilliant potion you seem to have brewed here my boy, I can see you have a fine talent for potions."

"I'm just that brilliant sir," chuckled Sirius, causing Holly to snort in disgust.

"Oh come on Knight, you know I'm amazing in all aspects of life," Sirius winked at her. James closed his eyes; waiting for the shouting to begin...it never came.

"Yet who was it to end your reign as wizards chess champion?" teased Holly. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"That was a fluke and you know it."

Holly shrugged, "Re match then?"

"You're on," Sirius winked again to a grinning Holly. He turned back to his potion.

"What?"

James was looking at Sirius with an indescribable look on his face, "Since when did you two become best friends?"

Sirius shrugged, "I dunno, after your accident we all stayed up in the common room, and, I dunno, we ended up playing wizards chess and getting on really well...it was kinda nice actually."

"Don't even think about it," hissed James, adding some moly petals to the potion.

Sirius held his hands up, "I wasn't thinking anything!"

James chuckled, "Actually, I know what you mean...Lily actually smiled at me before she left the hospital wing last night."

Sirius nodded, "She was pretty cut up about you falling, crying and everything. But then again, Holly, Bridget, Chris and the rest of your fan club were like that."

James rolled his eyes, "Thanks Black, ruin my dreams why don't you."

"It's what I'm here for," grinned Sirius.

There was a sudden bang, and the entire room turned to the bench behind Sirius and James. A cloud of thick green smoke was engulfing Peter's cauldron.

"Pete? Remus? You guys alright?"

James and Sirius wafted the smoke away to find an ashen faced Remus, and a boil covered Peter.

"What happened!" cried Professor Slughorn, hurrying over to the table. Remus pointed to something in the cauldron that looked suspiciously like snake fangs. Professor Slughorn shook his head, "Dear boys, I told you at the beginning of the lesson to follow the ingredients list _exactly_. Why did you add snake fangs?"

"We didn't," said Remus, coughing slightly through the smoke as Lily and Chris hurried over to Peter, "Somebody threw them in."

Professor Slughorn tutted, "Well, Mr Lupin would you please take Mr Pettigrew up to the hospital wing and get his face cleared up."

Remus nodded and took Peter away from the girls. Chris watched him go, then turned to James and Sirius.

"It was Rosier and Wilkes," she hissed, before hurrying back to her bench. James and Sirius turned to each other, and grinned.

"I always knew I liked Coddlesworth, care for a little payback?" asked Sirius.

"Oh, I would love to Mr Black," he scanned the room, and began to grin evilly.

"You see the jars of pickled toad's right above their table?"

"Already on it," muttered Sirius, pulling out his wand. He waved it several times, and the shelf exploded, sending pickled toads raining down upon Rosier and Wilkes.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" roared Slughorn, rushing around from behind his desk. The toads fell into a stunned Wilkes' cauldron, turning the potion they were making sickly yellow. The potion exploded, the two Slytherins and several surrounding tables receiving a face full.

"Look at their faces!" cried Sirius.

All those who had been hit with the smelly potion, their skin seemed to have taken the look and texture of cornflakes. James and Sirius began roaring with laughter as Rosier and Wilkes started flailing their arms and running about the classroom, pickled toads still hanging to their heads and shoulders.

"QUIET!" shouted Slughorn. The laughter died down as Slughorn rounded up those affected and ushered them out of the classroom. As soon as he had left, James and Sirius again fell into bouts of laughter, joined by the rest of the Gryffindors, even Lily. Snape, however, glanced at his friends Kyle Avery, and nodded. Avery raised his wand and pointed it at James.

"IMPEDIMENTA!"

James felt himself leave the floor and was flung across the classroom. Sirius roared in anger, and turned his wand against Avery, blasting him against the wall.

"STOP!" cried Lily.

James pulled himself up, and saw Snape smirking from behind Lily. He raised his wand and sent a jet of blue light towards him. Snape deflected it, and slashed his wand through the air. James felt a sharp pain in his arm, and saw a trickle of blood creep from beneath his sleeve.

"JAMES, NO!" cried Lily. She jumped forward and with the help of Bridget, pulled James away from the chaos, whilst Holly and Chris ran forward to pull Sirius away from Avery.

"Get off me, I'll kill him!" roared Sirius.

Chris and Holly managed to subdue Sirius as Lily rounded on James.

"WHY DID YOU ATTACK SEVERUS!? HE DIDNT DO ANYTHING WRONG!"

James pulled his sleeve up and thrust his arm in Lily's face.

"DIDNT DO ANYTHING WRONG! HE STARTED THIS WHOLE THING!" roared James. Lily's eyes widened at the gash on James' arm, and turned to face Snape.

"Sev?" she breathed, "Did you do that?"

Snape looked at James in disgust, and turned to help Avery up. Lily shook her head and turned back to James, who was having his arm bandaged by Chris. Professor Slughorn re-entered the classroom, but stopped abruptly at the sight of his students looking like they'd been dragged through a bush backwards.

"That's it, detention for all of you, and I'll be speaking to Professor McGonagall about this," he seethed. The bell rang and he waved his hand, "Get out of my sight!"

James felt himself being pushed along by Chris as far away from the Slytherins as possible. Behind him, Sirius was protesting about being dragged away.

"Why didn't you just let me finish him off!?"

"Will you shut up Sirius, we're already in enough trouble," hissed Holly, dragging him along by the front of his robes, "Just calm yourself down."

~**~

The six friends headed towards the hospital wing to get checked over, and didn't return to the Gryffindor common room until much later on, having missed dinner completely, where Remus and Peter (now free from boils) were waiting for them.

"What the hell happened to all of you?" asked Remus hoarsely, noting his friends bedraggled look.

"Slytherins," muttered Sirius.

Remus shook his head, and noticed Chris fussing over James' arm.

"Snape hit James, I think you'd better get up to the hospital wing," mused Chris.

"No way, I just came from there...it's just a scratch," mumbled James, dabbing the cut with a small cloth Chris had conjured. He determinedly avoided looking at Lily, who was quietly watching her friends in the corner.

"Bloody Snape, do you see what we mean now Evans?" spat Sirius, "He always starts it, he's an idiot, I don't care how good of friends you are, if I see him again, he's dead!" Sirius kicked the nearest table, sending the books and bottles of ink upon it toppling to the ground. Remus winced at his friends temper, and pulled Sirius into a chair next to him.

"You need to calm down mate, alright?"

Sirius ignored him, and gave the table another kick for good measure.

"Right, wrap that up and keep an eye on it," said Chris, putting a fresh bandage on James' arm. James nodded and thanked Chris, before flopping into the chair next to Sirius.

Lily watched him carefully, still not having said anything. She was finding it hard to believe Snape would attack James for no reason, or that he had anything to do with what Rosier and Wilkes had done to Peter's potion...yet for some strange reason, it seemed to be true. Maybe he just snapped_, I mean_, _James and Sirius are always picking on him_, she thought. Yes, that had to be it. Once again, it's Potter's fault, he shouldn't have taunted Snape all of those times.

Lily stood up, not looking at James having decided it was his fault after all.

"I'm going to bed, you three coming?" she asked Holly, Bridget and Chris.

"No, we'll stay here for awhile, you go ahead," said Chris.

"I'll come up with you," said Bridget.

Lily nodded, and wordlessly left the common room. James watched her leave, then buried his head in his hands.

"How many galleons are you betting she somehow makes this all my fault?"

"Alot," said Chris sadly, "Sorry James, but Sniv...Snape is her best friend, she knew him even before she started Hogwarts...and...well...she doesn't really like you that much."

James nodded, the usual happy twinkle in his eyes long gone. Would she ever like him? Probably not, he thought. Then why can't I just forget about her?

"Are you alright though James, I mean, you were literally thrown across the classroom," said Holly concernedly.

James nodded, "I'll live, I'm just so sick of the Slytherins! I mean, what's their problem?! Bloody idiots."

"We'll get them back, they're not getting away with this," snapped Sirius. Holly glanced at him, the usual squirm in her stomach no longer there. She smiled, and shook her head.

"I'm sure you will, just...dont let Lily see you doing it," she yawned, and stood up.

"Night guys, come on Chris."

Chris stood, and the two girls bade goodbye to the boys, before disappearing into the girls' dorm.

James waited until her was sure they were gone, then turned to Remus.

"So, are we ready?"

"For what?" asked Remus.

"We need to do some more research on the Animagi," stated Sirius, jumping to his feet. Remus buried his face in his hands, shaking his head.

"I know I sort of agreed to this, but I really think you should reconsider," Remus began; bu was stopped by James' hand.

James grinned, "I'll get my cloak."

~**~

"Lily? Lily are you alright?"

Chris and Holly had just left the boys downstairs, and approached Lily's bed, where Bridget was patting her back soothingly. The red head looked up, and sighed.

"I'm worried about Sev," she admitted, "Those people he hangs round with...you saw them today...it's not good for him."

Holly sighed, and sat on the end of Lily's bed, "You can't tell him who to be friends with Lil, that's his decision...you've just got to hope he makes the right one."

Lily nodded, and returned to her book.

"On a brighter note, we pick our third year subjects tomorrow, do any of you know what to pick?" asked Chris.

"I had a look at the list McGonagall put out last week, I think I know what I'm choosing," smiled Holly, "What about you Bridget?"

Bridget shrugged, "No idea, I might just pick at random."

"I'll just pick what I think I'll be good at," shrugged Chris, "Lils?"

"I like the look of Ancient Runes, or maybe Arithmancy," shrugged Lily.

Chris noticed her friend was still upset, and stood up quickly.

"Come on, we're going to get some ice cream".

"What?" asked Bridget, Lily and Holly in unison.

"We're going to the kitchens, and getting some ice cream, we still have a couple of hours before curfew."

Lily, Bridget and Holly looked at each other in confusion, and stood up.

"Chris we're not allowed in the kitchens," said Lily, "We'll get into trouble."

Chris rolled her eyes and grabbed her friends' hands, pulling them out of the dorm without a moment's pause.

~**~

"How did you find this place?" asked Holly incredulously as the four girls took seats around a small wooden table. The house elves had already taken their orders and were bustling about fixing them snacks.

"My cousin, she left a couple of years of years ago, she told me how to get there," smiled Chris.

"And you didn't think to tell us sooner!" cried Bridget.

Chris chuckled, and shrugged, "I was saving it for an emergency, plus we didn't have a clue back in first year, we'd have gotten caught straight away."

The house elves delivered the girls' ice cream sundaes, bowed respectively and went about with their usual tasks.

"So Lily, what is going on with you and James now? Are you talking or..." Chris popped a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

Lily shrugged, "I'm not his friend, if that's what you mean."

Holly sighed, and put down her spoon, "He isn't as bad as you think Lils, really, I think you should just give him a chance."

"What. Like you're giving Sirius a chance," smirked Lily, "Honestly Holly, one minute you hate the guy, then you fancy him, _then_ you hate him again, and now you're all friendly with each other...I don't get it!"

Holly shrugged, and chuckled, "He can be pretty fun sometimes, but other times, I really could throttle that boy."

"Well there's a volatile relationship if I ever did see one," Bridget laughed. Holly pulled a face, and flicked a spoon of ice cream towards her.

"So anyway, what _is_ going on with you and Ian?" asked Holly to Lily, as Chris conjured a cloth to wipe the ice cream from her face.

Lily sighed, "He's just a friend, alright. I'm twelve for God's sake, far too young to be having a boyfriend."

"Whatever," Chris rolled her eyes, "So, what do you guys think of Jose Talbott?"

Bridget, Holly and Lily glanced at each other, and burst out laughing.

~**~

The next morning, the Gryffindor second years were given something else to think about; third year classes. The students were given the morning off to choose the subjects they would be taking next year, and Chris suggested it would be fun to sit with the Marauders whilst they chose. Lily of course, was still reluctant to spend her time anywhere near James, however she knew how well Chris and Bridget got on with the boys, and joined them.

"So, anybody have any idea what they wanna take?" asked James.

Sirius shrugged, "I reckon I'll just pick the ones you're doing," he said with a grin.

James chuckled, and missed the annoyed look on Lily's face.

"What about you Remus?" asked James, turning to his friend.

Remus shrugged, and glanced at his parchment, "I like the look of Ancient Runes...and maybe Care of Magical Creatures...yeah, I think that's what I'll pick," he checked the boxes on the parchment and grinned.

"Oh, I'm taking Ancient Runes too," smiled Lily.

James scowled; sure, she'd smile at Remus!

"Well I've got mine," said Holly suddenly, "Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy," she set her quill down and looked over Chris's shoulder.

"Muggle Studies? Why would you wanna learn about Muggles?" asked Holly, wrinkling her nose.

Chris shrugged, "It seems cool, plus I know I'd ace it," she added with a grin.

"Pete? Have you decided?" asked Remus.

Peter nodded, "Muggle Studies and Divination, Muggles fascinate me, and I've always thought it would be cool to see into the future."

"What about you, Bridget?"

Bridget shrugged, "I'm thinking...Runes...and maybe Muggle Studies."

James nodded, and turned to his own list, deciding on Divination and Care of Magical Creatures. Sirius, as he had said, chose the same. Remus decided upon Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures, whilst Peter stuck with Muggle Studies and Divination. Christina chose Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures, whilst Holly had chosen Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures. Bridget decided to take Ancient Runes and Muggle Studies, whilst Lily, after a long hard think, decided upon Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, ever the studious type. With their subjects chosen, all thoughts of their futures were once again pushed from the second year's minds, and they resumed their normal twelve year old lives.

~**~

Now, James Potter was never a person to let something slide. After the encounter in potions, he and Sirius, a slightly reluctant Remus and an excited as ever Peter decided on a little payback; nothing too big, just a way to remind the Slytherins who they were dealing with.

Marauders, after all, were troublemakers, pranksters and (as Sirius had often pointed out), genius's.

So it was with great amusement the next morning, that the four boys turned up to breakfast, taking seats as close to the Slytherin table as possible, trying and failing to look as innocent as possible.

"They're up to something."

Holly set down her spoon and followed Lily's gaze, her dark eyes resting on the four Gryffindor boys. She glanced back at Lily with a bemused expression on her face.

"What do you mean?"

Lily tore her eyes away from James and his friends, her scowl deepening, "They keep looking over at Sev...something's not right."

Holly quirked an eyebrow, but was saved from having to respond, as Chris (who had been running a little late that morning), turned up with Bridget, a wide smile on her face.

"Morning all! And what a beautiful morning it is!"

"Someone's chipper," Holly commented with a smirk, "Did you hit her with a cheering charm?"

Bridget rolled her eyes, pulling a bowl of cornflakes towards her, "Jose decided to have a little chat with her on the way down, according to this one here," she jerked her thumb towards a beaming Christina, "He was flirting."

Holly snorted, and returned to her breakfast. Honestly, Chris was a strange one.

"AAARRRGGGHHHH!"

It was utter chaos. The girls snapped their heads towards the source of commotion, the Slytherin table. Apparently, someone had decided to spike their breakfast with Dr Deepak's Sizzling Fire Seeds.

The girls snapped their gazes over to Jonathan Knight, who was pointing and guffawing with Fabian Prewett at Gary Flint, who'd just taken a rather generous bite out of his bacon sandwich, only to receive a mouthful of the fiery kernels. His face grew redder, and redder, until he finally couldn't take it anymore and screamed, scrabbling at his tongue. Nancy Dunn was currently jumping in her seat, flapping her hand in front of her mouth and grabbing at her stomach, Wybock Grover had taken an entire pitcher of pumpkin juice and practically drowned himself in it, and Severus Snape seemed to have fallen out of his chair clutching at his stomach, his normally pallid face tinged with pink.

Through the screams and raucous laughter, four boys could be seen almost crying with mirth. James was currently clutching onto Remus' shoulder, Sirius was bent double and Peter had fallen out of his chair, clutching his stomach. Even Remus didn't hold back, a rare sight indeed.

"Oh I'm going to murder them all," hissed Lily, her eyes narrowing. Beside her, Holly and Bridget fought their laughter; Chris didn't bother.

Unfortunately, the girls weren't the only ones who noticed this, and a fuming Professor McGonagall pushed her way through the growing crowd, her face growing redder and redder.

"I should have known, Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew...my office, NOW!"

"Awww Minnie," Sirius wiped a tear from his eye, "They should watch what they mix with their breakfast...I've heard of unusual tastes, but this taking it a little far!"

McGonagall's nostrils flared in anger, her eyes flashing with rage.

"BOYS! MY OFFICE! NOW!"

"Alright, alright, we're going," James stood up, closely followed by a still weeping Sirius and a chuckling Remus and Peter. They didn't even seem bothered they had been caught.

Holly could hear several cheers as the boys left the hall in single file, and whipped around to find her brother. She clambered out of her seat, hurrying over, desperately fighting her smile when Evan Rosier tripped over Snape, who was still on the floor.

"And just where did they get the equipment for that?" Holly asked her brother, who's own eyes were streaming.

"Awwww Jolly, they begged us," Gideon Prewett wrapped an arm around Holly, "You can't say they didn't deserve it, I for one think it's genius," he turned to his twin, "How come we never thought of anything like that?"

Fabian shrugged, and shook his head, "We're not as talented, I'll admit...those Marauders are my new heroes."

"Marauders," Holly quirked and eyebrow, slipping out of Gideon's grasp, "You lot are a bunch of idiots, you know that."

"We try, Jolly, we try," Jonathan sighed.

Holly rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile when Maria Meddle cast the Aguamenti charm, sending a jet of water flying towards her face and knocking her to the ground.

* * *

_Did you like it? Let me know :)_

_I'm off to read LOTR (another of my passions, Tolkien was a genius!)_


	16. Homeward Bound

_A/N: and here it is, the last chapter of second year :( but don't worry, that just means we're moving onto third year :D silver lining, eh?_

_review responses:_

_**Geniia:** Thank you :) I'm glad I've portrayed them how you pictured them too :D I'm trying to keep them all as in character as possible, and it makes me feel so happy that it's working! Wow! I'm always overwhelmed when my reviewers say this is the best marauders era fic they've read, and I'm truly grateful to hear it, and so happy that I've made this enjoyable for you :) No, I definitely won't be stopping mid-way, I intend to see this through to the very end! (and that includes the sequel, which will be about the first war and the OOTP). LOTR is amazing, I love the poems and songs in it, they're my favourite! I read three chapters last night, my eyes were killing me when I finally (and begrudgingly) set the book down! Thank you very much for taking the time to read my story, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**MissWendyBird:** Hello there, and welcome to my story! I'm very happy to hear you've been enjoying it (you must have been extremely tired after reading all of the chapters!) and I hope you continue to enjoy the upcoming chapters :) Yes, I love Fabian and Gideon, and though the next year will be their last year, I'm sure we'll hear more from them, as we did from Fred and George when they left. Thank you for reading, and please enjoy this next chapter too._

_**evershort:** Haha, don't worry, I'm no stalker! Your safe :) I know, they still seem like tiny tots, don't they! Good! You're far too young to be worrying about dates (I'm such a hypocrite, but my own mothers lecture has been drummed into me!) enjoy you're childhood, you'll miss it terribly when it's gone (I know I do, adulthood is such a bore!) Aragorn is my favourite character, I must admit, but I have a soft spot for Samwise Gamgee too, he's so sweet and bumbling! They are really hard to get through, I've read the series once before, and it took me the better part of two years to finish them all (including the Hobbit, which is brilliant too!) But they're well worth the read. The movies were amazing, definitely in my top ten! And you were right, this is the last chapter of second year! next year we get onto Hogsmeade (and the romance ;D) since our fearless heroes will have to tackle dates! Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you like the next chapter._

_**Fairywolf:** Thank you :D reading the reviews and writing the story are the highlight of my day, but to hear yours is reading the story...well...let's just say I couldn't stop grinning like a fool! It does take awhile, but when I'm not actually writing chapters, I often find myself jotting down ideas and exerts, and by the end of the day I have most of the chapter written in notes, and I just need to link it together and write it properly, so it's pretty spaced out, plus I'll often write passages for futures chapters and years ( and even stories!). And now I'm grinning even more cause you said this one is the best! Ahh, life doesn't get much better, eh? Thank you for reading, and please enjoy the last chapter of second year!_

_**quirky-as-alice:** XD thank you!!! I think we all have a pretty good idea, however, it could change...I can think of worse people he could be paired with (hint, hint). Thank you for reading, I hope you like this chapter just as much!_

_**Bookworm315:** I'm exstatic I could make your day, and now you've made mine! All of you have! I decided to post early today so you don't have to keep checking :D Thank you so much, and please keep enjoying the upcoming chapters! And you don't have to worry, I won't be stopping this fic, I want to know what happens just as much as you guys! Keep studying, and good luck for your exams :D _

_**BloodMoonRising:** Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Please enjoy the next chapter, and thanks so much for reading!_

_**splatteredpaint:** Yeah, LOTR was the first novel I ever read, (though my all time favourite book is Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl, it's so great!) It's fine, I only capatalize mine out of habit, if I'm in a rush I never normally bother. Haha, I can kind of guess, my last computer broke after I spilled a cup of tea all over it, and in all honesty, I was more upset about the tea, as it was the last tea bag and all the shops were closed! I'm sure James will have more injuries as a result of Quidditch, it's a dangerous sport, after all! But a cool one, I wish it was real! Haha, I like to think the Marauders were inspired into their ways by someone, and who better than James' cousin, and the Prewett brothers! There's a lot about the animagi in this chapter, so hopefuly you'll enjoy it! Yes, I need to write more about their pranks, I have a few ideas already, hopefully they'll be entertainin too! I like your ramblings, feel free to ramble all you like! (I'm a rambler at heart to, it's probably why my repsonses are so long aswell haha) Thank you so much for continuing to read the story, and I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter too :D_

_Disclaimer: I own Holly, and Chris, and Bridget, and Jonny (I love him)...that's about it...oh, and I own Dr. Deepak's Sizzling Fire Seeds too :D but the rest is J.K's...lucky devil!_

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**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

**_Homeward Bound_**

The following weekend, the four Marauders prepared to sneak out and begin the arduous task of continuing to research Animagi. The boys were still baffled as to how to achieve this feat, and what with James' Quidditch accident, the prank and the duel with the Slytherins, hadn't had the time to really get it into force.

At some point during the week, James had asked his cousin Jonny to get the only book on Animagi out that they knew of. Though he had been curious as to why James wanted this certain book, he had refrained from asking too many questions, and just left him to get on with it. Jonny knew his cousin wouldn't actually become an Animagi, and simply put it down to some sort of prank the four boys were planning. Jonny wasn't the most perceptive person James knew.

James led his friends into an empty classroom on the seventh floor, hoping they wouldn't run into Filch, teachers, Peeves the poltergeist or any wandering ghosts as they researched, though he brought the invisibility cloak just in case.

"So, where do we begin?" asked Sirius, looking directly at Remus. Although he wasn't one hundred percent on board with their idea, he knew it would be futile to try and stop them, and decided that at least if anything went wrong, he could help them. He was, after all, the most sensible and frankly sane member of their group.

"Well, I think we need to get as much information on Animagi as we can, compile a list of information, techniques and stuff...it's gonna take a while, I mean, we don't even have a clue how to begin."

James and Sirius' faces fell. They just wanted to jump right in.

"I suppose we'll need to go back to the library then," said Sirius glumly. Remus chuckled, and nodded.

"Although, I'm not sure the library will have the necessary information we'll need. Remember, you have to be of age to become an Animagus, so there probably won't be many books on how to become one."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" asked James exasperatedly, "If we need books, and the bloody library doesn't have any, how are we going to do this?"

Remus sighed, and ran his hand through his hair, "I told you it would be difficult. Let's just go to the library and have a look at what we can find."

His friends nodded, and they piled themselves back under James' cloak, and left the classroom.

James wracked his brains for a way to find information on Animagi as the four boys wandered along the seventh floor. It was around midnight, and they hadn't run into anyone, so he focused all of his attention on finding a way to get the necessary information. He stopped.

A door had suddenly appeared. A door that James was sure wasn't there before.

"Mate, why did you stop?" whispered Sirius slightly annoyed. James pulled the cloak off him, and walked towards the door. Sirius, Remus and Peter frowned in confusion, and followed him.

"This door wasn't here before," mumbled James.

"And? James doors appear all of the time around here. Remember that one Peter found and he ended up in the middle of the grounds," Sirius chuckled at the memory of Peter coming back ashen faced and telling them he'd found a portal to another world.

James ignored him, and slowly opened the door.

"Whoa!"

The room behind the door was large, and the walls were lined with tall bookshelves filled with endless leather bound tomes. There was a large desk in the centre of the room, with four chairs around it, several cushions in the corner, and sleeping bags. There was also a flask of pumpkin juice and a large plate of cookies. James stepped up to the bookcases, reading the titles printed in various fonts on the spines, and grinned.

"Guys...these books are all about Animagi!"

"You're kidding!" cried Sirius, bounding up next to James and pulling out a large red leather bound book. He flipped through the book, and wide grin on his face.

"Bloody hell, this thing tells you all about them!"

"This one tells you what can go wrong," said James, holding up a small black book, a slightly worried look on his face.

"And this one gives tips on how to avoid it," chuckled Remus, his arms full of books.

"How come we didn't know about this place?" asked Peter, looking around interestedly.

James shrugged, "No idea, I wasn't even looking where I was going, I was too busy thinking about where we were gonna find the information we needed."

"Me too," the three other boys said in unison. Their eyes widened slightly, and they looked around incredulously.

"Bloody hell, this room knew exactly what we wanted!" exclaimed Sirius, "It even knew I was hungry," he pointed to the cookies and the pumpkin juice. James laughed, his eyes alight with excitement.

"That must be it! This room only appears when you really need something!"

Peter yawned loudly, and squeaked an apology.

"That explains the sleeping bags," chuckled Remus.

"This place has everything - everything we need," James grinned, putting his book down on the large desk, "We can really do this!"

His three friends nodded, and scattered around the large room, pulling out as many books as they could possibly carry, and spent the rest of the night reading and chatting excitedly at the prospect of actually being able to achieve this incredible feat. Though they would still have to figure out how to actually become Animagi, at least now they had more than one book to help them on their way.

~**~

The next morning, four very tired Marauders dragged themselves into History of Magic and took their seats. Only Remus bothered listening to the ghostly Professor Binns, whilst Sirius dozed lightly in his chair, Peter stared distantly out of the window, and James focused his attention of the pretty red head three seats away.

"James is staring at you again," Holly leant over and whispered. Lily frowned, and chanced a look behind her. Sure enough, and pair of hazel eyes were fixated on her. She frowned again, and turned back.

"How did he even pass his tests last year? He never pays attention in class," hissed Lily.

Holly chuckled, and shrugged, "Natural brains?"

Lily snorted in disgust, and went back to her note taking.

~**~

The Gryffindor second years made their way through the crowded hallways towards the Great Hall.

"I am so bored," moaned Sirius, pushing his way through the crowd, "Who knew Binns could make something like Goblin wars _boring_!"

James chuckled, "Well amuse yourself then."

Sirius' brow knitted together, then a wide grin spread across his face.

"Hex that first year," he pointed at a small Slytherin near the four boys. Remus slowed walking, a slightly worried look crossing his face.

"What?" frowned James.

"Come on, amuse me," he pleaded mockingly. James slapped him on the back of the head and continued to push through the crowd.

"I'm not hexing a first year just because you say so," chuckled James.

Sirius' face broke into an evil grin, "I dare you."

James stopped, and turned.

"You dare me?"

Sirius nodded defiantly, "I dare you...unless you're afraid."

James snorted, "I'm not afraid, I just don't understand why you want me to hex a _first year."_

Sirius shrugged, "He's a Slytherin, plus we're older than him, and he's strutting around like he owns the place."

Indeed, the boy did seem to have a rather superior look on his face, which could've been construed as some form of arrogance.

Remus glanced at Peter, both thinking that even if Sirius wasn't as a bad as the other Black's, he certainly had some of their tendencies.

James shook his head. The boys had now come to a stop, as the students filing out of classrooms added to the crowd.

"Go on then, I dare you."

James frowned again. Part of him told him this was wrong, that he had no reason to hex this boy, but the other part (the part that normally controlled his actions, and funnily enough, his ego) told him to go for it.

"But if you're too scared, I understand."

That was it. James whipped out his wand, and pointed it at the first year. At the same time, Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris, who had been lagging behind slightly, pushed through the crowd and came up behind Remus and Peter.

"What is he doing!" cried Lily, just as James uttered the incantation. In an instant, the small Slytherin's legs began wobbling; he stumbled, scrabbling at those surrounding him to steady himself. Sirius burst into laughter, as did many of the students around them. James glanced at Sirius, and grinned.

Lily pushed forward and grabbed James' shoulder, spinning him to face her.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!"

James blanched. This was bad.

"I...uhh...he...well....Sirius...he..."

"I dared him," said Sirius proudly, not seeing what was wrong. Lily's eyes flashed in anger, and she seemed to tower over James even though she was considerably smaller.

"He _dared_ you...and you did it!"

James mouthed wordlessly at Lily. In the back of his mind, a small voice told him she was being irrational. What was the big deal? It was just a Slytherin. Why was she defending him?

"Evans...he's a _Slytherin_...he's the enemy! Why are you so bothered –"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHY AM I SO BOTHERED!? WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO GO AROUND HEXING PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE IN A DIFFERENT HOUSE!?"

"Come on," whispered Holly, pulling Remus away from the argument. A large crowd had gathered around Lily and James, and Holly, Chris, Bridget, Remus and Peter set about dispersing it.

Sirius backed away a little. He'd made a _big_ mistake.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU POTTER! HOW CAN YOU BE SO ARROGANT....SO HEARTLESS!?"

James shrank back. He didn't know how to answer that.

When James didn't reply, Lily shook her head and turned on her heel, her red hair looking like flames. She barged past Sirius, glaring at him, and stalked off to the Great Hall. The girls glanced at him, all identically shaking their heads, then followed Lily.

Sirius stepped tentatively towards James.

"Listen mate...I'm sorry, I didn't know she was there...I shouldn't have suggested it."

"No," snapped James, "You shouldn't have."

Sirius glanced at his friends fearfully.

James sighed, and his face softened, "But I shouldn't have gone along with it either...it's my fault...besides, Evans is completely out of order, standing up for bloody Slytherins."

Remus shook his head in exasperation, "When will you learn...I thought you wanted Lily to like you?"

"I do," cried James, "But not at the expense of making friends with that lot," he jerked his thumb over towards the small crowd that had gathered around the Slytherin boy. Sirius nodded in agreement, and Remus simply gave up. Perhaps they'd understand someday.

~**~

"THAT BOY! I CAN'T BELIEVE HIM!"

Lily had been like this for about an hour. Holly checked her watch; she had to be at Quidditch practice in less than five minutes. She really needed to wrap this up.

"Lily, we know," said Chris soothingly, "But why are you taking this to heart, he didn't hex you."

Lily rolled her eyes, "It's just the principal of it Chris, what makes him think he can be like that...think that he's better than anyone else, that he can do what he wants?"

Holly shrugged, "I have no idea, it seems really out of character for him, now I hate to leave, but I have Quidditch."

She stood up, and hugged Lily, "Just forget about him Lils, don't get yourself worked up over him."

Lily nodded, and took a deep breath.

"I know I shouldn't, but he just makes me so angry...I dont even know why!"

Holly smiled apologetically, "We know, maybe we'll figure it out someday."

Holly bade goodbye to her friends, and headed out of the door.

Lily flopped down onto her bed, and buried her face in her pillows. Bridget sighed, and sat next to her.

"You know, James really can be a good guy, he helped me with Transfiguration a couple of weeks ago, and he was lovely."

Lily lifted her head, and snorted, "Now _that_ I refuse to believe...James can't be lovely, he doesn't have it in him."

Chris laughed, and shook her head, "Someday Lily Evans, you'll see the real James Potter...he just needs to tone himself down a little."

Lily rolled her eyes, "A little? The boy needs to change completely before I'll ever give him the time of day."

~**~

"How is she?" asked James quietly.

Holly straightened up from putting her Quidditch gear away in her locker and sighed.

"Angry as hell, what were you thinking James?"

"I dont know!" cried James, "Why is she so concerned about Slytherins all of the time!?"

"That's not what she's angry about James," explained Holly, "It's the way you act, you have to admit, you've been pretty up yourself since you started here...I dunno whether you've always been like this and I've never noticed, or if it's Black's influence...or you've taken one too many bludgers to the head."

James groaned, and sat down on the bench, "She's no angel either, she can never lighten up, she always has to take everything so seriously."

"Talking about me again, Knight?" Sirius strolled over to the pair, towelling his hair after taking a well needed shower.

"In your dreams Black," Holly rolled her eyes and turned back to James.

"Just...dont listen to this idiot anymore, and you should do fine."

"Ouch Knight, that hurt."

Holly rolled her eyes again and smacked him on the arm. She smiled sadly at James, then disappeared from the locker room. James buried his head in his hands, muttering something inaudible.

"Cheer up mate; it's not the end of the world."

James glanced up, and shrugged, "Then why does it feel like it is?"

~**~

Breakfast was rather awkward the next morning. Once again, Chris insisted the girls sit with the boys in her desperation to fix Lily and James' turbulent relationship. Lily, however, simply ignored the boys all through breakfast, which was rather odd, as she usually got on rather well with Remus and Peter.

Chris threw her fork down onto her plate in exasperation.

"What's up?" asked Holly. Lily was determinedly focusing all of her attention on her breakfast, whilst the Marauders (as they were now referring to themselves) were huddled together, more than likely planning another prank. They hadn't pulled anything in awhile, and Holly found it funny that she was actually quite worried that they hadn't; the boys were quickly getting quite a reputation for themselves.

Chris glanced at Lily, then at James, "I'm just sick of all the arguing," she whispered, "I really like those guys, they're fun to hang around with, but at the rate those two are going, James will be lucky to survive Hogwarts with all four limbs."

Holly smiled grimly, "We do have quite a situation, dont we?"

Chris nodded, and began moodily stabbing at her scrambled eggs. A flurry above the student's heads signalled the arrival of the post. Holly glanced up, and spotted her black owl Vespa soaring towards her. As she watched the bird fly closer, she spotted a handsome tawny owl cross its path. She gasped; in its claws, was a large black envelope. This was bad.

"Look," hissed Holly, nudging Chris and Bridget. Chris followed her line of sight, and gasped.

"Oh no."

The last time a black letter had been seen, a student at Hogwarts had lost a member of his family to Lord Voldemort. As more and more students noticed the letter, the hall gradually grew quieter. The tawny owl landed at the Ravenclaw table, in front of a small girl. No sooner had she reached out for the letter, than Professor Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick appeared at her side. They gently lead the girl away from the great hall, her face white as a sheet. The hall remained quiet, until whispers and conversations broke out. Holly turned to her owl, who clutched a copy of the Daily Prophet in its talons. Holly removed the paper and pushed a bowl of cornflakes towards the owl.

_**Wizarding World in shock at largest Death Eater attack takes place in Manchester**_

_Minister for Magic Millicent Bagnold has expressed her deep shock and horror at the atrocious attack in Manchester last night, which claimed the lives of three wizards and seventeen Muggles. The attack, believed to be made by Death Eaters, happened at around six thirty pm. So far, Aurors have refused to give the names of the three wizards who lost their lives, however we can inform you that the family in question were of half-blood decent, further worrying the Wizarding World. So far, it has seemed only Muggles and Muggle born wizards were the target, however it now seems many of us are at far greater risk than we imagined...._

"This is awful," groaned Bridget, "How can this even happen?"

Chris shook her head sadly.

Lily, who had moved next to Holly to read the article, sighed, "I don't know Bridget...we can only hope someone can stop...him...soon."

Holly folded the paper up and passed it to James, who had been watching the girls. He folded open the paper and read the report, a slow frown crossing his face. Holly turned to her letter, and opened it.

"What does it say?" asked Lily worriedly.

Holly frowned, "They're fast tracking the Auror training, it's only two year, instead of three."

"Oh yeah, Jonny wants to go into the academy doesn't he?" said Chris, "Why are they fast tracking it?"

"All the attacks, they need more Aurors out there," grimaced Holly, "Hey James, read this," she passed the letter to James, who was still frowning at the paper. He read it quickly, and sighed.

"This is bad....I mean...it's always been bad...but...it just seems so much more..."

"Real," whispered Lily. The two locked eyes for a moment, then looked away. James glanced at the Slytherin table, and scowled.

"Look at them, I bet they're all so glad their parents managed to pull this off," he spat. Lily lowered her eyes to her plate, unable to meet anybody's eyes.

Sirius looked over to the table and spotted his younger brother sitting with Crabbe and Grover. Regulus saw his brother and waved jovially. Sirius managed a grim smile.

"And my brother's mixed up with that lot," he groaned, "I've gotta do something."

James clapped Sirius on the back, "Don't worry mate, we'll think of something."

Remus nodded, "James is right, we won't let him be dragged down into that crowd."

Holly, Bridget and Chris glanced at Lily, who looked rather surprised.

"I told you so," whispered Chris. Lily scowled, and rolled her eyes.

"That doesn't mean I have to like him."

~**~

"Hey! Reg!"

Regulus turned to see his brother and his friends hurrying towards him.

"I'll be there in a minute," Reg smiled at his friends. Crabbe and Grover glared at Sirius as he approached then stalked off down the corridor.

"Hi Sirius, hi guys," Regulus greeted happily. He loved talking to the Marauders, as he'd heard several students calling them. They were so cool, so popular...it was a pity his friends didn't see this.

"Hey Reg, how are you?" asked James warmly.

"I'm good, I've got History of Magic thought...it's such a bore! We were talking about some sort of war last lesson; you'd think that would have been interesting!"

James chuckled; Sirius and Regulus were so alike.

"You'll get used to it, at least you manage to stay awake," James stared pointedly at Sirius, who grinned.

"When am I ever going to need to know who started the Goblin Revolution of 1832?"

"You're exams," pointed out Peter. Sirius rolled his eyes and turned to his brother.

"I suppose you heard about the attack, right?"

Regulus nodded grimly, "Mum wrote to me last night and told me."

Sirius winced a little, his parents knew about it before the Prophet...things were just getting worse.

"Listen...Reg I'm worried about you."

"Me?" said Regulus in confusion, "We're pure bloods Sirius, they won't attack us!"

Sirius sighed, "That's not what I mean...I'm worried about those lot you call your friends, they're trouble, Reg."

Regulus frowned, "They didn't attack anybody Sirius, they're good guys, really."

Sirius ran his hand through his hair, "Listen, I can't tell you who to hang around with...but...just promise me if anything...suspicious happens, you'll come and tell me, alright?"

Regulus scowled, and glanced at his brothers friends. They all bore worried expressions...why were they worried?

"Uhhh...okay...but really Sirius, there's nothing to worry about."

Sirius nodded, and clapped his brother on the shoulder, "Just keep yourself out of trouble, I've been worried about you ever since you were sorted into Slytherin."

Regulus sighed, "Is this because Mum and Dad have been arguing with you about the sorting...'cause I tried telling them you would have demanded to be in Slytherin, but they wouldn't listen..."

"I demanded to be in Gryffindor Reg, and the house agreed," sighed Sirius, "Slytherins are trouble."

Regulus looked rather shocked. He backed away from his brother, "I...I've gotta go...I'll see you around."

The small boy turned on his heel and dashed down the corridor. James, Remus and Peter stepped closer to Sirius.

"You alright mate?" asked James.

Sirius nodded, "Yeah...I'll just have to hope he doesn't do anything stupid...you know."

"We know," said Remus sympathetically, "Come on, we've got Flitwick, and we dont want James to miss his sweetheart at her best."

"Hey!" cried James and Peter and Sirius sniggered. The four boys headed back down the corridor and towards the Charms classroom, sincerely hoping Sirius' worries would never become truths.

~**~

"Alright team...this is it...we haven't won the cup in years...but this is our chance..."

The end of the year was fast approaching, and several months had passed since the attack in Manchester, and unfortunately, things only seemed to be getting worse. There had been three more attacks, in which two Aurors and countless witches, wizards and Muggles had been lost. Times were darkening quickly, and it seemed there was nothing that could be done about it.

The Marauders had dedicated most of their time researching Animagi, normally spending the entire night of a full moon in the Room of Requirement, sort of in honour of Remus' painful transformations. However, the three boys were no closer to working out how to become Animagi than they had from the beginning, but it was only a matter of time.

Lily and James were still not talking, thought they weren't exactly arguing either. After news of the attack on Manchester had spread, Lily began to notice more and more that the Slytherins seemed smug after every Death Eater attack. Though she wasn't about to admit it, she did feel a little guilty for blowing up at James like that. In light of the recent attacks, Professor Dumbledore had cancelled the end of year tests (except OWL's and NEWT's), as many of the students affected in the attacks were quite young.

To try and cheer everybody up, the Marauders had made it their task in life to prank as many Slytherins as possible. Sirius said it was their duty as Gryffindors, and James and the others seemed perfectly happy with that. They even noticed that many of their pranks were overlooked by several teachers, in fact, James and the boys could have sworn they saw Professor Sprout, who had had three students in her house (Hufflepuff) lose members of their families in the attacks, turn around and walk the other way when James his fellow Marauders were charming a load of quills to shoot themselves at anybody wearing green. Unfortunately, green eyes were also a target, and Sirius made a spectacular dive at Lily, knocking her to the ground when four quills decided to make her a target. Suffice to say, Lily was not pleased, especially since Sirius wasn't exactly a light weight, but she didn't shout at James for the prank at all, which was good enough for him.

It was the last Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff, and James was determined to continue their winning streak.

"...this is the best team Gryffindor has seen in years...I know we can do this...and if we don't....well...I may just throw myself into the Whomping Willow..."

"Way to build team spirit, Jonny," called Sirius. Jonny grinned, and his face returned to its serious 'Quidditch look', as James had dubbed it.

"...we can do this...I know we can...I'm so proud of you all, even if I'm a complete arse in training...you guys have been amazing."

James beamed proudly at his cousin, and followed the team out onto the pitch. The roar of cheering students blasted his ears as soon as he stepped into the sunshine. He glanced at Sirius, who was waving his beaters bat above his head, to Holly, who was grinning happily. He searched the crowd of Gryffindors, and spotted Remus, Peter, Lily, Bridget and Chris, who had made a large banner, he did a double take, and laughed. The banner read 'Black, Potter, Girl Knight', and sported a large lion on either side. Lily looked simply radiant, jumping up and down and screaming for her team.

This was sure to be the greatest game ever.

"...and that's another goal to Hufflepuff by Amos Diggory, newest addition to the Hufflepuff team...Gryffindor don't seem to be up to their usual standard today...come on Jonny, you can do this!"

James sped after Hayley Rogers who was now in possession of the Quaffle. Gryffindor were down 50-20, and it didn't look like it was going to get any better. Hufflepuff had a terribly strong team this year, and the Gryffindors nerves seemed to be getting the better of them.

Holly sped in from the left and punched the Quaffle out of Haley's grasp. James sped underneath and caught it, took a U-turn, and sped towards the Hufflepuff goals.

"POTTER...POTTER...POTTER..."

James was almost there. He saw the Hufflepuff keeper drifting to the left. He raised his arm, and threw...

"POTTER SCORES....50-30....COME ON GRYFFINDOR!"

"Nice one James", called Sirius, streaking past him to meet a bludger. James beamed and took off after the Quaffle again.

After half an hour, the Gryffindor team came into full force. They were now neck and neck, with 100 points apiece. James watched as Holly scored their eleventh goal, and cheered along with his supporters. Suddenly, a crimson blur shot past him. He watched as Kelly stretched out her hand, and enclosed it around the glimmering Snitch.

Time stopped. James watched in slow motion as his team sped towards Kelly, the girls (and Jonny) in tears.

"GRYFFINDOR WIN THE CUP!"

James roared with happiness and shot towards Kelly. The team slowly floated to the ground as wave upon wave of Gryffindor supporters piled onto the pitch and ran screaming towards them.

"WE'VE WON THE CUP! WE'VE WON THE CUP!"

James felt himself being hoisted up onto the shoulders of many Gryffindors. He searched the crowd, and spotted Lily and Chris hugging tearfully and jumping up and down. He saw Remus screaming like a mad man, and Peter bouncing around chanting his friend's names. They were taken towards Professor Dumbledore, who was waiting with the shining, golden Quidditch cup. The team was lowered to the ground. Dumbledore passed the cup to Kelly, who handed it to a teary eyed Jessica, who in turn, passed it to Geoffrey. Geoffrey passed it to Sirius, who roared with pride. Sirius passed it to Holly, who was screaming at the top of her lungs, who then passed it to James. James felt his heart swell as he heard the screams. He turned to Jonny, who was sobbing profusely.

"Go on Jonny...you did it!"

Jonny took the cup, unable to find words, and lifted it into the air. James was sure he'd never feel this proud in his life, than he was right now.

~**~

"GRYFFINDOR....GRYFFINDOR...GRYFFINDOR!"

The party had been in full swing for several hours. Right now, Jonny was about to dive from a table into a crowd of students, whilst the cup was passed around to everyone in the room. Several Ravenclaws who had supported Gryffindor had turned up, and Sirius was in a rather passionate clinch with one Kate Nordell, a Ravenclaw third year, at that moment. James shook his head, and looked around the room. Holly was giving Remus and Peter a play by play account of how they won, Chris and Bridget were throwing sweets into the crowd (James had no idea where they'd gotten them all), and Lily...Lily was talking to Timothy Stebbins. James' face fell. Why was _he_ here...and more importantly, why did he have his hand on Lily's arm. Remus glanced over to James, who seemed to be getting angrier by the minute.

"Excuse me," he said to Holly and Peter, and quickly crossed the room.

"James?"

James turned to look at Remus, and merely pointed at Lily and Tim.

Remus sighed, and chuckled, "They're talking about Charms, not exactly romantic."

James scowled, "Probably trying to find out how to Charm her into...I dunno...liking him."

Remus laughed out loud, and pulled his friend over to a seat, "The only thing that can do that is a love potion, and those are banned...calm down James, she's allowed to have friends other than Holly, Bridget and Chris."

James crossed his arms, and leant back in his chair, "Alright, but if his hand moves anywhere else on her body I won't be responsible for my actions."

Remus chortled, "I'll keep that in mind," he scanned the room, and saw Sirius and Kate 'getting to know each other' in a secluded corner.

"So, Sirius is the first one of us to snog a girl?"

"Looks like it," laughed James, though he still had a bit of a frown, "Took him long enough, he said he liked her ages ago."

"We've been pretty busy," mused Remus, "Which reminds me, I've written down some exercises for you all to do over the summer to help with the transformations."

James nodded, "Will you be coming over this summer? I know you guys couldn't last year, but the offer's still there."

Remus nodded, "I'll ask mum and dad, I'm sure they won't mind, they know your parents."

James grinned, "Brilliant, I just hope Sirius' parents and Peter's dad let them come too, it'd be great for us all to get together."

Remus nodded, "I don't see why not, they can't isolate them forever."

At around midnight, Professor McGonagall finally called the party to an end. She congratulated the team, and took the cup from them. James could have sworn she winked at him as she passed, and had a feeling she would be mentioning their win to Professor Slughorn (who had had the cup in his office for many years now) tomorrow at breakfast. The Gryffindors dragged themselves up to bed, all elated at their win. It was probably the best day of James' life so far.

~**~

All too soon, second year had come to an end. The students of Hogwarts piled onto the Hogwarts express, and spent their last magical moments changing each other's hair colour and charming pencil cases to fly through the carriages.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter spent the afternoon chatting about their plans for the summer, the prospect of going to Hogsmeade, and the various books they had taken with them to continue the research for becoming Animagi. They also vowed not to let their night time wandering suffer next year, as they had neglected it alot due to the Animagi meetings. They were sure there were more secret passages in the school, and James was determined to find out where Chris acquired so many cakes and sweets from.

The train pulled into King Cross, and the students filed out and ran to their families, chattering excitedly about their year at Hogwarts. James spotted his parents through the crowd, and ran over to them.

"Hi mum, hi dad," he hugged his parents, and passed Merlin and his trunk to his father.

"How was school?" asked Mrs Potter.

"Brilliant! I invited Sirius, Remus and Peter over through the summer, is that alright?"

Mrs Potter nodded, "Of course, I'm dying to meet them all properly, and Sirius was a joy to have around."

"Hey James!"

James turned and spotted Remus running over to him.

"Mum and dad said I can come over sometime in the holidays!"

"That's great," grinned James, "Just owl me when you wanna come over, have you heard from the others?"

Remus shook his head, "They said they'd work on it...well...I gotta go, see ya."

He ran back to his parents and disappeared from sight. James turned back to his parents, who were waiting a little way away with his aunt, uncle, Holly and Jonny.

"Come on, we're going to Aunt Claire's first," Mr Potter announced.

"Why?" asked James.

"I was promoted...I have a seat in the Wizengamot," cried Mrs Knight, clearly unable to sustain her joy any longer.

"That's great, I'm impressed," chuckled James. Mrs Knight swatted James, and turned to head towards the barrier. Holly nudged James.

"What?"

She smiled, "Lily's there."

James turned and spotted Lily with her parents (again, no sister). The two locked eyes...and James could have sworn she wore a hint of a smile.

"Bloody hell...this has been the best year ever!"

* * *

_Worth the wait? Or waste of your precious time? Let me know, as always :)_

_I'm off to read some more LOTR and then venture out to my friends house :) Have a great weekend everyone!_

_p.s Any Twilight fans out there? Would you recommend the books? I went to see the film the other day, and I thought it was great, and had a really good plot to it, and I'm toying with the idea of buying the series? So if you think it's worth it, let me know (I'm a bit strapped for cash atm, credit crunch and all, but if they're worth buying I will :) )_

_Grace ~_

_Update: I've just been through and corrected the (many) typo's that were in this chapter...I'm really sorry about that, but I haven't been feeling too well lately, and it seems to have affected my grammar skills. Thanks to **Bookworm315** for putting me right :D it's very much appreciated!_


	17. Third Time's a Charm

_A/N: Here's the beginning of Third Year! Please enjoy!_

_Review responses:_

_Btw, before I get to reviews, for all those who recommended the Twilight books (I think it was just about everyone, actually) I'll be off to buy them when I next get paid :D Thanks for letting me know! Now, on with the show..._

_**evershort: **Ugh! Your so loucky! throw a snowball for me, won't you! :) Good, it's nice to hear someone wanting to live their life, instead of trying to grow up too fast, it's very refreshing! And they had to win the cup, it would've been cruel of me not to, don't ya think? I'm very glad you enjoyed it, thanks for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the beginning of third year!_

_p.s: Hogsmeade = dates....woooooo! :D_

_**MissCanada:** Welcome to the story :) Thank you! Glad you liked it, especially Sirius and James! Hope you like this chapter just as much, and thank you for reading and reviewing!_

_**Geniia: **Thank you so much :D I know, I wish it could've gone on forever, but third year will be a blast, I'm sure :D They had to win the Quidditch cup too! Yeah, I think Lily is worming up a little, but at heart, lily is a wonderfully kind person, and I think after the Quidditch accident, her natural kindness kicked in. I mean, she's only disliking James because of Sev, because she cares for Sev dearly, she really is a kind hearted soul, just very stubborn and easy to anger, I reckon. I think I'll be sticking with canon as to when they get together, so yeah, seventh year, BUT that doesn't mean her feelings won't develop UNTIL seventh year, I have a feeling Lily will need a lot of time between developing feelings for James and actually agreeing to go out with him, so you might not have to wait that long for the romance to start ;) and Remus will definitely have a girl, though I'm not saying who or when ('cause I'm mean, lol) but I think you'll all be pleasantly suprised...or atleast I hope you will be :) I couldn't stop even if I wanted to, to be honest! Thank you, as always, for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the start of third year!_

_**MissWendyBird:** Thank you! Jonny is my favourite OC of mine, actually, so I'm glad you like him too :D Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**nevillesgirlfriend:** Wow! Words can't express how elated I was when I read your review! It was amazing! I've read a lot of fan fictions where Peter is portrayed as an unimportant, overlooked side kick of sorts, when in actual fact, he is one of the most imortant characters in the story, even if it is for the worst reasons. I figured he must have been a nice person at some point, for the others to trust him so deeply and feel so betrayed by him, and I can't tell you how excited I am to write about his downfall, and how and why he did what he did. I find it fascinating, and I truly hope I'll do it justice! Welcome to my story, and thank you for reading and leaving such a wonderful review. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story just as much! _

_**000kayko00:** Thank you! I'm really glad you liked it :D Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter!_

_**Vampfromthemountain:** Here it is! XD I hope it was worth the wait! I'm glad you liked it, and thank you very much for reading and reviewing. Enjoy third year :D_

_**Fairywolf:** I hope by the time you read this you got my pm. I'm still shocked by it! my face was like :O...really! I can't wait for Hogsmeade either, dates and all! And, since dating will now become a more fixed thing, just what will James do to win fair Lily's heart? Oh, it's going to be fun :D Thank you very much for reading and reviewing as always! And please enjoy the start of third year!_

_**splatteredpaint:** Thank you! Oh I love Roald Dahl with a passion, and I love those two too! I used to have them as my bedtimes stories when I was younger :D There'll be a lot more of the animagi coming up too, that I can promise! I haven't really focused much on the summers yet, I was actually waiting until they were a little older (and until the war escalated more, hint hint) however when I read your review, I added the first part in for you, i hope it's alright! Also, I should thank you even more, because the thing with Jonny wouldn't have come around if you hadn't of mentioned summer, and it's now led to a brand new plot line to come later on! So thank you! And thank you for reading, reviewing and also thanking me :D Please enjoy third year XD_

_**Bookworm315: **Thank you! and thank you for pointing out my mistakes, I wasn't feeling all to well, but I still couldn't believe how many there were! It's nice to know someones looking out for the mistakes and letting me know, I'd hate for them to ruin the story! I went back and corrected them (and left a little thank you to you too). Thanks a lot for reading and reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter (typo free :) )_

_**quirky-as-alice:** I know, yay! I simply couldn't have them lose, I didn't have the heart to do it! Well, it says they finally became Animagi in fifth year, and in most respects, I'm sticking as close to canon as possible, so they'll be around 15 or 16 (depending on birthdays), but we'll be getting glimpses of their forms earlier than that, when they're practicing :D Thank you for reading and reviewing once again, and please enjoy the next chapter too :)_

_**BloodMoonRising:** Oh dear, that must have been awful! (well, maybe not the school part :D) but I know how frustrating it is to lose the power! I think right now where I live it's about 7 degrees, though I know sometimes drops below zero at night! But then again, I live so close to the Scottish border (I live in the North of England) that I'm pretty used to it by now! At least you have summer to look forward to, eh? I know I'd love to have an American summer! (well, from the south anyway) Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter (I'll keep my fingers crossed that you don't lose your power again too :) )_

_Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever been J.K Rowling...I do live near where they shot some castle scenes for the films, but that's the closest link I have to HP...and I still didn't make any money...oh well...on with the show!_

_**A/N 2:** I'm thinking of starting a forum thing for the story, a place to discuss the stories, possible plots and various other things. Also, I'm in the middle of doing some fan art of my characters, and I'd love to hear what you all think, also, I'd love it if any of you were artistic and wanted to have a stab at a pic of James and Lily arguing, or Sirius and the Marauders goofing off :) Anyway, if I go ahead, I'll let you all know, and if anyone wants to join, I'd be more than happy to have you all :) Anyway, let me know what you think :)_

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* * *

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The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

**_Third Time's a Charm_**

"Boys! Dinner!"

James, Sirius and Remus stopped putting away their purchases from Diagon Alley and hurried down the stairs. The Potter house was rather big, with enough room to give James and his friends their own rooms. However for the past couple of nights the boys had taken to camping out on James' floor, going over various pranks to pull for when they returned to school. Peter had stayed for a couple of days, however was called back home by his father. They got the impression Peter's father was quite like Sirius' parents, however the difference was that the Black's now seemed to prefer Sirius to be out of the house (apparently the Black's had been hosting the Lestrange's for most of the holiday, and were too ashamed to have him around), rather than keep him in. Sirius had confided in the boys that his parents had been quite bad to him when he returned home, and that it was putting a strain on his and Regulus' relationship, which was the most he had talked about his home life ever. The sudden reversal in his parent's attitude had shocked James; he hadn't expected Sirius to suddenly tumble out of his fireplace asking if he could stay for the remainder of the holidays. Of course, Mr and Mrs Potter had welcomed Sirius straight away, and were extremely sympathetic when Sirius told them his parents had asked him to leave the house when the Lestrange's arrived. Not that Sirius minded, he seemed to be happier than ever to be at the Potter's.

The boys raced into the large dining room and sat down at their chosen seats, tucking into the sumptuous food Mrs Potter and the house-elf, Binky, had prepared. Mr Potter was still at work, Mrs Potter having given up her work as an Auror when James was born.

"Dad's working late again?" asked James through a mouthful of mashed potato.

Mrs Potter nodded, "After last week's attack the Auror office has been rather busy, plus the two Death Eaters that were caught still need to go to trial."

James nodded and returned to his meal. Last week's attack had been very bad. Two wizarding families had been completely wiped out, along with several Muggles. The worst of it was, it had happened in Upper Flagely, where Chris lived. Luckily, she lived on the other side of the village; however the attack had still shaken her up alot from what Holly had told them. If truth be told, the attack had frightened James too; yet another attack a little too close to him for his liking.

"Now are you sure we got everything in Diagon Alley today?" asked Mrs Potter.

"Pretty much, Merlin was going crazy when we ran out of owl treats."

"How could I forget, he kept me up for a week," chuckled Mrs Potter, "Now, I know you all had homework, is it all finished?"

James and Sirius looked each other at each other.

"Boys," said Mrs Potter sternly, "You go back to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"We'll do it on the train mum, promise," said James, adopting his most charming grin. Mrs Potter rolled her eyes, not one to be fooled.

"Why can't you be more like Remus? From what I've heard, he isn't a pick of bother."

"Are you kidding," laughed Sirius, "He's the mastermind behind our pranks, James and I just carry them out!"

Remus chuckled, "Guilty as charged."

Mrs Potter shook her head, smiling, "What am I going to do with you lot?"

"Buy us new broomsticks?" suggested James with a hopeful shrug.

"James you only got the one you have two years ago, you're not getting a new one until that one is useless." Mrs Potter stood up, gathering up her plate and cutlery.

"May I suggest a trip to the Whomping Willow?" whispered Sirius to a sniggering James and Remus.

"I heard that!" called Mrs Potter, who had taken the dishes into the kitchen.

The boys laughed, then turned as they heard a rushing sound in the living room, and watched an ash covered Holly step into the dining room.

"Hi guys, still terrorising Aunt Gwen?"

"But of course," smiled Sirius. Holly giggled and dusted some ash off her clothes.

"She's in the kitchen," said James, jerking his head towards the kitchen door. Holly nodded and hurried into the kitchen. James glanced at Sirius, whose eyes had followed James' cousin through to the kitchen and were now currently focused on the wooden door.

"Back off Sirius, we've already discussed this," warned James with a smirk.

"What?" asked Sirius innocently, "Can't I appreciate the female form?"

"Not when the female form is my little sister," sounded a voice from behind the boys.

"Hey Jonny," they chorused.

"How is our esteemed Head boy?" asked James.

"Godly, as always," grinned Jonny, "Did Holly tell you the good news?"

"You told us," frowned Sirius. Jonny had rushed straight over to the Potter home as soon as his Hogwarts letter had arrived.

Jonny laughed as Mrs Potter came racing into the dining room, looking extremely happy for some reason.

"Oh Jonathan sweetie, oh I'm so happy for you!" she cried, flinging her arms around his neck.

"Told you I'd beat you to her," grinned Holly from the doorway.

James, Sirius and Remus exchanged confused looks.

"Mum, what's going on?" asked James.

Mrs Potter pulled away from Jonny, wiping away the tears in her eyes. Jonny clasped his hands in front of him, and grinned.

"I asked Olivia to marry me."

"What!" cried the three boys in unison, jaws dropping and eyes widening.

"I know I know," Jonny waved his hands at the boys, "I'm still in school, but as soon as we leave, we're getting married."

"Mate, that's brilliant!" beamed James, jumping up to shake his cousins hand.

"Congratulations," smiled Remus and Sirius politely.

"Now, where's my ten galleons," asked Holly, holding out her hand expectantly.

Jonny sighed, reaching into his pockets, "I have a wedding to pay for, how can you do this to your big bro?"

"Well next time believe me when I say I can beat you here using Floo powder," smirked Holly, pocketing the gold coins, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to owl Lils, Bridget and Chris with the news."

Holly hugged Mrs Potter and waved to the boys before heading back to the living room to return home.

"I'd better get back too," smiled Jonny, "Tell Uncle Harry I'll pop over later."

"Okay sweetie, and give Olivia our love," Mrs Potter hugged Jonny once more, before he also disappeared into the living room. Two whooshing sounds told the others they had left the living room.

"Well," said Mrs Potter, "Thank god we still have moments like this. I'm going to owl your father."

~**~

"For the love of God James, _please_ try and behave yourself this year, I've lost count of how many owl's I've had because of your behaviour."

"I'll try mum, but I'm not promising anything," James winked. Mrs Potter sighed exasperatedly, and turned to hug Sirius and Remus, whom she'd become quite fond of in their fortnight spent at the Potter home, despite the mischief they'd gotten themselves into. Poor Binky still wasn't the same after finding those exploding bon bon's in her room.

"Remus, try and keep them in check, even if it's just a little," she pleaded.

"I'll try Mrs Potter," smiled Remus, "But they're pretty hard to control."

"I can imagine," she chuckled. She turned to Sirius.

"Just...try not to get caught."

James and Remus burst into laughter, and the three boys bade goodbye to Mrs Potter (Mr Potter had been called into the office again) and hopped aboard the train. They snaked their way through crowd towards the compartment they'd deemed their own during their first train ride and spotted Peter already settled inside.

"Hey Pete!" the boys called in unison. Peter jumped, his round face breaking into a grin.

"Hey guys, miss me?"

James chuckled. Peter had certainly come out of his shell alot since first year; however he still seemed to hero worship James and Sirius...not that James minded of course. It was always nice to be worshipped, and he was sure Sirius had no qualms about being idolized either.

"Course we did Pete, how was everything at home?" asked Remus, loading his trunk onto the shelf above the seats.

Peter shrugged, "Pretty quiet, dads never really in much, wish I could've stayed at James' longer though. What about you guys?"

"Jonny's engaged," said James promptly. He'd decided to deliver the news to Peter himself, rather than owl it. It made him even prouder to say the words aloud.

Peter's watery blue eyes widened, "Really? That's great!"

James positively beamed and sat down next to Peter, propping his legs up on the seat opposite.

"So," James leant back into his seat, "You guys excited for Hogsmeade?"

"Course," said Remus and Peter in unison, "You know, we could have gone there last year if we hadn't been so busy with the Animagi stuff..." James trailed off, noting the look of sheer horror on Sirius' face.

"Mate, you alright?"

Sirius shook his head, "My permission slip," he said hoarsely, "They didn't sign it."

"What!?" cried James, his eyes widening. Remus rolled his eyes and shoved James.

"He can owl his parents, don't worry."

"Oh...right," James turned a still worried face to Sirius, "Do you think they'll send it?"

Sirius shrugged, and looked as though Christmas has been cancelled, "They'd better," he muttered darkly, "I suppose I could find a way to sneak out," at this, Sirius dove into his coat pocket and pulled out a battered looking piece of parchment.

"Still keeping that list?" chuckled Remus.

Sirius scowled, "You'll be thanking me when you need to know the best way to sneak out of the castle."

Remus opened his mouth, and James was sure he was going to reprimand Sirius for wanting to sneak out of the castle, but was interrupted by Peter.

"So James, is this the year Lily's going to fall in love with you?" asked Peter.

Remus and Sirius sniggered at James' frown.

"Laugh all you want, when we're married with kids and you lot are all alone in the world you'll wishing you never made fun of me."

"Sure James, whatever you say," laughed Sirius, "Honestly though, this is the third year you've been after her, and the best thing she's done is almost smile at you."

"It's a start!"exclaimed James, "I don't see you guys making progress with any girls."

"On the contrary, I had three girlfriends over the summer before I came to your place...all Muggles of course, but hey...at least they never found out about each other."

Remus smacked Sirius upside the head as James and Peter roared with laughter, "That's mean."

Sirius shrugged, "Like I said, they never found out, no big deal."

"We're gonna have trouble with this one, aren't we," sighed James, fighting a grin.

"You're just figuring that out?" smirked Remus. James picked up an owl treat from Merlin's food bowl and chucked it at Remus, the four boys truly happy to be going back to their second home.

~**~

"Lily! Lily over here!"

Lily turned from saying goodbye to her parents, and spotted a golden haired girl hurrying through the crowd.

"Wow Chris, you've certainly grown alot!"

It was true. Chris now towered over Lily, certainly rivalling some of the boys around her. She flashed a dazzling grin and embraced her friend, "I eat my vegetable, Lils."

Lily laughed, and spotted Bridget hurrying towards them as fast as her short legs would carry her.

"Bridget!"

"Hi girls," greeted Bridget breathlessly, "Great to be back, isn't it?" Bridget hadn't changed much over the summer, though she seemed to have acquired a few hundred more freckles to her round face, and her hair seemed lighter than usual.

Lily chuckled and nodded, then clambered aboard the train, dragging her trunk behind her. The two girls headed towards their usual compartment just as the train jolted and began to move.

"So how were your summers? I'm sorry you guys can't owl me anymore, but Petunia's scared of them."

"It was good, hectic as usual," shrugged Chris, "Next year we're gonna have to meet up in Diagon Alley; shopping with my cousin's is a nightmare."

Chris spotted their compartment and the three girls squeezed into it.

"Mine was alright, Spain again of course," said Bridget, stowing her trunk away in the overhead compartment.

"Have you seen Holly?" asked Lily, handing Bridget her trunk to put away.

Chris frowned, "No, actually...you don't think she missed the train?"

Lily shook her head, "Doubt it, Jonny's Head boy; he'd have to be here on time."

At that moment, the compartment door slid open and a short, chestnut haired girl entered. Holly looked up, anger evident in her dark eyes.

"Bloody Slytherins," she hissed, flopping down onto her seat, not even bothering to put away her trunk.

"What did they do?" asked Lily in concern.

"Oh nothing, just being their usual, wonderful selves," she spat, "Laura Heckleton was bragging about that attack in Surrey a few weeks ago, says the her family are all backing Voldemort."

Chris shuddered at the mention of the name, but didn't oppose to hearing it, knowing both Lily and Holly felt no need not to.

"She's awful Holly, don't listen to her," soothed Lily. She was really beginning to see what James meant about the Slytherins, they were a horrible bunch.

"Anyway, how was your summer Lils?" asked Holly, pushing the Slytherins as far from her mind as she could. Dwelling on it would only make her angrier.

"Alright I guess, Petunia was awful as usual, but she was out with her friends from school mostly so I didn't have to put with her too much."

Holly shook her head sadly, "She's just jealous, that's all it is. Remember, if you ever need a break you're more than welcome at my place."

"Thanks," Lily grinned, "I bet your family are thrilled with Jonny's news."

Holly seemed to brighten up, and she nodded, "Ecstatic! Mum was a little worried because they're so young, but she can see how much they love each other, and Olivia's the best, like the older sister I wish I had instead of Jonny."

"So, are you all excited for our new subjects?" asked Bridget.

"Definitely, Arithmancy looks fascinating, doesn't it Holly?" said Lily happily.

Holly nodded, "And Care of Magical Creatures, that looks really interesting, Jonny say's you learn all sorts, and sometimes Hagrid helps out."

"Well I for one can't wait to start Muggle Studies, maybe then I'll know what the hell you guys are going on about sometimes," chuckled Chris, Bridget nodding vehemently.

"Half her family are Muggles and she _still_ doesn't know what a television is," laughed Lily.

Chris pulled a face at Lily, then smiled, "I can't wait for Hogsmeade either, it's going to be brilliant."

Lily and Holly nodded in unison, both eager to visit the famous wizarding village. They'd heard alot about it from Jonny and his friends, and couldn't wait to get to see it themselves.

"Jonny say's Zonko's is amazing there, I bet the guys will have a field day," giggled Holly.

"It's going to be a nightmare, do you know how bad their pranks are going to get?" sighed Lily.

Chris nodded, "Entertainment though, isn't it?"

Lily shook her head and laughed, "I'm surprised you're not in the Potter/Black fan club you know".

"Oh they have one each now, the entire female population of Hogwarts has separated into Potter fans and Black fans," chortled Bridget. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Well that'll certainly help their egos."

"I think their egos are a lost cause, Lil," mused Chris with a grin.

The four girls reminisced on some of the truly big headed things James and Sirius had said, and spent the rest of the train ride discussing Hogsmeade and various other activities they had planned for the rest of the year.

~**~

The train jolted to a halt, and James quickly peeked out of the window, spying the large glittering Hogwarts castle in the distance. He grinned, and could have stood and stared all day, had Sirius not so kingly punched him in the arm and told him to get a move on.

The platform was as crowded as ever, the older students towering over the nervous looking first years. James positively beamed when he saw Hagrid calling the new students over to him, and gave a jovial wave to the giant of a man as he passed.

"Weathers not too bad this year," Remus mused as the four boys headed up the path towards the carriages that would take them to the castle, "It rained our first night here, didn't it?"

James nodded, kicking at a small stone as they walked, "Pete was wetting himself when it started to thunder," he gave the blushing boy and wicked grin, and joined in laughing with Sirius.

The boys approached the carriages, his gaze lingering on the empty space between the wooden shafts, where he assumed a horse would go, had the carriages not been able to pull themselves.

"Ever wonder what actually makes these things move?" Peter said from behind him, voicing his own thoughts.

Sirius snorted, and pushed past Peter, yanking the door of an available carriage open, "Magic, maybe? You're so dense, Pete."

"Just because you're in a mood about Hogsmeade doesn't mean you have to take it out on Peter," Remus reprimanded, climbing into the carriage after Sirius. The dark haired merely shot Remus and infuriatingly uncaring grin, and settled back into his seat.

The ride up to Hogwarts was fairly uneventful, and the boys spent their time discussing the feast, and whether Dumbledore would make his annual speech before or after the food arrived (Sirius sincerely hoped it was after).

The carriage jostled to a halt, and the four boys quickly exited the carriage, glancing up with matching grins at the large castle before him.

"Aahh, it's good to be back," James stretched his arms over his head and yawned, not having realised just how tired he actually was.

"Oi, James," James turned to see Sirius grinning manically at something. He followed his line of sight, and felt his own smirk appear.

_Snivellus_.

James glanced at his friend, who seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. Beside them, Remus tried tugging on James' arm, whilst Peter watched in avid anticipation, his eyes wide and darting from James, to Sirius, to Snape.

"This is too good to miss," Sirius whispered, whipping out his wand, "I'm thinking, Jelly-legs, and maybe a stinging hex?"

James quickly shook his head, "No, I have a better idea," he waved his wand quickly, muttering an incantation under his breath. Sirius, Remus and Peter snapped their heads towards Snape just in time to see a small explosion somewhere in the vicinity of the skinny boy, a large puff of smoke blocking Snape from view.

The boys watched with excitement (or, in Remus' case, a mixture of said excitement carefully concealed with a disapproving glare) as they heard a loud yelp, presumably from Snape, and waited for the smoke to clear. Around Snape and the boys, several students had stopped, and were now pointing towards the Slytherin.

Laughter rippled throughout the crowd as Snape suddenly appeared, ashen faced with what appeared to be smudges of soot on his head, his normally greasy hair no longer hanging limply to his shoulders, but rather sticking up oddly, quite like James' after he'd gotten off a broom or purposefully messed it up.

James, Sirius and Peter didn't bother to contain their laughter, clutching onto each other for support. Remus, though his mouth was desperately twitching, did his best to keep a straight face, though it was obvious he was failing.

"And I suppose you thought this acceptable behaviour?"

The boys abruptly stopped laughing, and turned to see Professor McGonagall, arms crossed, eyebrow quirked and eyes flashing dangerously.

"Aren't you supposed to be fetching the first years, Professor," James said without really thinking. McGonagall exhaled loudly, a growl escaping her throat.

"Detention, all of you. Get to my office!"

"But...the feast!" Peter squeaked, clapping his hands over his mouth as soon as he'd said it. McGonagall seemed to double in height and in anger, her lips tightening to a thin white line.

"I DO NOT CARE IF YOU MISS THE FEAST MR PETTIGREW! I WILL NOT TOLERATE DUELLING, INSIDE OR OUT OF THIS CASTLE!"

Most of the surrounding students were now hurrying into the castle, probably worried they too would be reprimanded. The four boys hung their heads, but still didn't seem to be able to hide their amusement at what had happened, especially since Snape could still be heard cursing loudly.

"My office, boys," McGonagall said curtly, looking a little red since her outburst, "Now."

Sirius flashed McGonagall his most charming smile, and mock saluted his head of house.

"Right you are, Minerva," and before she could clip him around the ear for calling her by her first name (she looked very much like she wanted to) the four Gryffindors turned on their heels and hurried into the castle, shooting longing glances at the hall as they passed.

"Well, at least one good thing came from this," Sirius started as the four boys made their way through the school corridors. James, Remus and Peter each quirked an eyebrow.

"Well?" James said.

Sirius flashed a grin, and turned a corner, "Our first detention of the year was before the school feast, we've beaten out record!"

The sound of three hands clipping Sirius around the ear echoed through the corridor soon after.

~**~

"Now, I have only a few announcements for you before we begin our wonderful feast, firstly, may I please remind you that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, as always. Secondly, the list of banned objects has been updated, for those who wish to see it," Dumbledore glanced at James and his friends, who had returned to the hall just as the sorting hat was being taken away, "It can be read in Mr Filch's office. Now...I think that is everything...let the feast begin."

The four house tables were suddenly laden with plates and trays piled high with almost every meal imaginable. Fat sausages steamed invitingly, plates of thick chips and juicy chicken legs could be seen every few feet, bowls of spaghetti bolognaise tantalized their taste buds, and every food imaginable for the most sumptuous Sunday dinner a child could need was spread out generously. Sirius (as always) was first to dig in, the chatter and clatter of students eating and catching up after their summers apart reached an enormous level.

"I can't believe you made us miss the sorting," Remus hissed, piling a helping of chips onto his plate.

"So, how are you and Regulus? I know you guys were a bit distant last year," said James, waving aside Remus' comment. Sirius glanced up from his food and spotted Regulus chatting happily with Crabbe and Grover. He felt his anger rise as he watched Snape and Avery lean over to him and start whispering.

"Alright I guess," he lied. In actual fact, things had been horrible. His parents had constantly praised Regulus on becoming a Slytherin, whilst making snide comments about Sirius, not even bothering to keep their voices down when they were talking about him. Worst of all, were their thoughts on the recent attacks, and the rising power Lord Voldemort seemed to be accumulating. His parents and almost all of his family seemed to think Voldemort had completely the right idea, and were ready to give him their full support. The two weeks he spent at the Potters were a Godsend, to say the least.

James watched Sirius for a moment, knowing that he wasn't telling the full truth. Sirius had never been very open with the boys, however at least he had confided in them his worries for his brother. However this year, he seemed different. This year, he seemed more closed off. James hoped it was merely a phase.

After dinner ended, James and his friends left for the Gryffindor common room, chuckling loudly as they watched Jonny try to handle a group of particularly loud Gryffindor first years.

The boys entered their usual dorm room, their belongings already brought up, freshly made beds and warm hot water bottles (it was a particularly cold September this year) awaiting them.

"Ahh, it's good to be home," sighed Sirius happily, flopping onto his bed. James nodded, and fell into his own bed, a wide grin plastered across his face. It really was good to be back.

"Hey Sirius, you need to write your mum a letter about your permission slip," Remus reminded from somewhere over by his bed. Sirius snapped his fingers, and dove into his trunk, fishing out a quill and a piece of parchment. He hastily scribbled down a note, read it once or twice, then, with a satisfied smile, folded the letter and glanced around the room.

"Wait...where's Merlin?" the dark haired boy asked, referring to James' owl. Normally, the mighty tawny owl would be waiting for him in the dormitory, before flying off for a night of hunting.

"Oh, he must have left already," James assumed, frowned, "Hang on, I'll go and ask Holly if Vespa's still there," James jumped to his feet, closely followed by Sirius, and hurried down the staircase.

Without thinking, the boys began to run up the staircase to the girl's dormitories. They were halfway up, when a loud wailing claxon sounded, and the stairs seemed to melt away beneath them.

"Bugger," Sirius muttered, before the two boys lost their footing and slid back down the staircase.

Landing in a crumpled heap, James and Sirius spied two pairs of legs, and looked up to see the amused faces of Remus and Peter staring down at them.

"Wait a moment, let me get my camera," Remus teased as the two boys sprang to their feet, blushing crimson.

"I should've known it'd be you two," James and Sirius whipped around to see Lily, Holly, Chris and Bridget all clambering to their feet, having slid down the slide. Lily quirked an eyebrow at the boys clearly amused by the pink tinges in their cheeks.

"Evans, the summers been good to you," James said, flashing his most charming grin. Lily's eyebrow quirked even higher, and was in severe danger of disappearing into her hairline, when Sirius began to speak.

"The same could be said for you, Knight...whoa!" Sirius clutched at his throat, eyes widening and cheeks flushing once again.

There was silence for a moment, until as one, James, Remus, Peter and the girls burst into fits of laughter. Apparently, it was now time for poor Sirius' voice to break.

"Oh – Merlin –," Chris clutched her side, "You sounded – worse than – a girl!"

Sirius scowled, and muttered something unintelligible. It took five minutes for his so called friends to finally calm down, and Bridget had the sense to ask why the boys had tried and failed to reach them.

"Sirius needs to send a letter," James jerked his thumb towards a still huffing Sirius, "Can he borrow Vespa?" he turned his attention to Holly.

Holly smirked at the grey eyed boy, "As long as he promises to speak up more often in _that _voice," once again the girls broke out into a fit of giggles, causing Sirius to redden even more.

"I'm kidding," Holly waved her hand, "Give me the letter, I'll send it off with her, she's still in the room," Sirius thrust the letter into Holly's hand, not daring to meet anyone's gaze, "We're going to bed...night Sirius," the girls continued to giggle all the way up the staircase (which had formed back into stairs) until the sound was drowned out by the slam of a door.

James turned to Sirius, eyes dancing with laughter.

"Probably the funniest thing I've ever heard," he remarked casually. Sirius swung at his friend, who dodged quickly and began to laugh.

"Bugger off! Just wait until it happens to you!"

Once again, the boys fell into fits of laughter, as the 'you' was punctuated with a rather large squeak. Oh, this year was certainly going to be a good one, if this was how it was to begin.

* * *

_Love it? Hate it? Let me know :)_

_I'm not sure at what age boys suffer the humiliation of their voices breaking, but I seem to remember my male friends were about twelve, and, as James said, it was probably the funniest thing I've ever heard! Oh well, we get child birth, this is the least they can go through to make up for it :D_

_Grace ~_


	18. Not of Blood

_A/N: Chapter eighteen is all done :) hope you all like it!_

_review responses:_

_**splatteredpaint:** XD I'm glad you found it funny, I thought a dose of humour was in need :D and I'm afraid Sirius is going to need a lot of hugs after you've read this chapter (at least, I wanted to hug him :( ) Oh, I'm certain they'll manage to break their record next year ;) Definitely, and better way of having love than a good old wedding (which I've started to write a little bit of) the weathers picking up a bit now, but I'm now full of cold, which sucks, but I get one every winter, so it was to be expected. I'm really happy you liked the chapter, and thank you very much for reading and reviewing (and continuing to ramble, which really makes my day), and I sincerely hope you like this next chapter!_

_**Fairywolf:** Ok, that is just too scary! Blimey, timing or what? I'm glad you likedthe voice breaking bit aswell, it was a last minute addition and I was chuckling away to myself as I was writing. Wow, you're just full of ideas! I'll definitely take that one into consideration, and it could be possible, aren't we forgetting Lily's helping Timothy Stebbins (a Ravenclaw) with charms? There you go with your psycic abilities again! Keep up the suggestions, they're great! Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy this next chapter :)_

_**evershort:** Thank you :D (just make sure there's no stones mixed in with that snowball, I once threw a snowball with some gravel mixed in it, and ended up giving my friend a nasty cut on the forehead...I'm still apoligising, and it happened over two years ago!) Oh, there'll be plenty of crushed and dates and romantic drama beginning now, it may sound cliched, but at the end of the day, most teenage lives rotate around romance in someway or another, I know mine did! (although, I'm still with my 'high school sweetheart', so I didn't have as much as some of the others!) I know, poor Sirius, and the Potter's can't sign it 'cause they're not his legal guardian :( He'll find a way around it though, I promise! This is Sirius we're talking about, after all. Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter. Oh, and Hogsmeade is coming up very soon!_

_**MissWendyBird: **It's such an embarassing time for them, poor guys, they'll start really noticing girls now too, if you know what I mean. Ahhhh, nightime emissions, you've given me a great idea (it won't be too graphic, I promise...funny though!) Haha, they both think with their stomachs, don't they! Thank you for continuing to read and review, and please enjoy this chapter too :)_

_**BloodMoonRising:** XD I'm glad you liked it :D I teased my male friends for weeks about it, I'm suprised they stayed friends with me actually. Thank you for reading and reviewing, as always, and I hope you like this next chapter just as much :)_

_**quirky-as-alice:** I know, haha! The poor guy's having a bit of a rough time, eh? Glad you enjoyed it, and thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Enjoy the next chapter!_

_**Bookworm315:** Thank you :D I'm glad you liked that part aswell, I was hoping it wasn't too random, you know :) and like I said, I'd rather someone told me the typo's so I could better the story and improve the writing for you guys :) Yes, it's meant to be Grover, but I'm so used to seeing Goyle followed by Crabbe in HP that out of habit I've been writing their names instead of Grover! I really need to stop that haha! Oh, not even illness will stop me from writing, besides, it cheers me up, so it's the perfect rememdy :D Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**Ea:** Hi there, welcome to the story :) Thank you, I'm very glad you've been enjoying it :) (I'm sorry I almost made you cry too, lol). Your english is fine, don't worry about it :) Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you continued to enjoy the story :)_

_Disclaimer: I made no money from this, and I never will...which sucks, coz my wage is terrible! I think I need a second job...._

_on witht he show...._

**

* * *

**

The Marauders Tale: Hogwarts Years

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

**_Not of Blood_**

The next morning, four very tired Gryffindor boys dragged weary legs down to the Great Hall. As always, the boys had spent most of the night awake, discussing the coming year. It seemed to be a regular tradition with most students in the school; everyone far too excited to even contemplate sleeping early.

"Potter, Black, Lupin, Pettigrew," Professor McGonagall stood behind the boys, her eyes narrowed.

The boys swivelled in their seats at the Gryffindor table to face their Head of House, wondering how on Earth they could be in trouble already.

"Your timetables for this year," McGonagall handed the boys four timetables, "And I expect you all to be at my office tonight, six o'clock sharp."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," James flashed the older witch a grin, to which she merely rolled her eyes.

"Indeed, have a good day boys," she nodded curtly, and moved down the table to the other students.

"It's Marauders!" Sirius called after her, a smirk playing across his handsome features. He, James and Remus had all grown several inches over the summer; Peter, a few centimetres, though a tall Peter wouldn't be Peter at all.

"What've you all got?" James asked, leaning over Remus' shoulder to read his timetable.

"Ancient Runes...Lupin," James whined, "We're not all together!"

Remus quirked and eyebrow, "You knew that, or were you not listening when I told you?"

"Probably not listening," Sirius commented, snatching Peter's timetable from him and scanning it, and ignoring the sniggers from his friends at the squeakiness of his voice, "We've got Divination first, excellent," he handed Peter his timetable back and rubbed his hands together, "I nice nap for us all."

"Is that the only reason you took it?" Remus asked with a small smirk. Sirius nodded, and turned back to his breakfast.

"I should have known."

~**~

"Welcome to Divination!"

Professor Gelbert Gero was a strange man. He was tall, with yellowing skin and matching teeth, several of which were missing, long sleek black hair tied into a ponytail, and a funny little goatee to match. His eyes were large, and seemed almost black, and he wore a fitted waist coat beneath flowing black robes; James though he looked an awful lot like somebody out of the 1880's.

"Do not think this class will be easy..."

Sirius groaned beside James.

"...Divination is a subtle, yet taxing course. I will test you skills in focus, your ability to determine the possible...and the impossible, and of course...we will learn to interpret your own," at this point Professor Gero pointed at Sirius, "And each others," he spread his arms and spun on the spot," futures," the Professor finished with a dramatic hand wave, eliciting several sniggers, mainly from James and Sirius.

Ignoring, or possibly not hearing this, Professor Gero instructed the class to pull out their text books and begin at chapter one; Palmistry.

"Pair up boys and girls, and attempt to determine the lives of your fellows," Gero glanced at James' table, and pointed at Peter, "You boy, come and work with me."

Peter squeaked, and looked helplessly at James and Sirius. He clumsily got to his feet and left his friends to their work.

"Alright then, hold out your hand," said James, pulling his book closer.

Sirius snorted, and held out his hand. James studied it for a moment, consulting his book.

"Alright then...lifeline...long but thin...you'll live a long time...but will face many troubles..."

"Great," muttered Sirius, rolling his eyes. He could think of about fifty things he'd rather be doing right now.

"Umm...heart line...thick...but short...you'll find your soul mate...but you won't be together very long..." James fought the urge to laugh. Somehow, the words 'Sirius' and 'soul mate' didn't quite fit.

"Soul mate?" snorted Sirius.

"I wonder who the lucky guy is?" mused James, earning a punch in the arm from Sirius.

"Prat...damn voice! – Just get on with it, does it say whether I'll be rich?"

James studied his hand once again, "Head line...umm...too hard to decipher, alright, do mine now."

Sirius laughed and took James' hand.

"Well...heart line is thick, and long....so you're gonna get married and have lots of little Potters...aww Jamsie."

James kicked his friend, not at all willing to consider the possibility of little Potters...or little Lily's.

"Okay, okay...life line...short...wow....really short...sorry mate, looks like you'll pop your clogs any day now," grinned Sirius.

"Oh ha ha," said James sarcastically, "What about my head line?"

Sirius' brow crossed together as though concentrating. He sighed, and looked up.

"I'm sorry James".

"What?" asked James, slightly concerned.

"You...you don't have one...you're...you're an idiot," Sirius dramatically looked away, before bursting into laughter.

James picked up his book and chucked it at his cocky friend, who ducked, causing the book to hit Heloise Gibson in the back of the head.

"Have you finished boys?"

James and Sirius jumped, and saw Professor Gero looking down upon them with a sneering smile.

"All done, Sirius is gonna live a long, loveless life," grinned James.

"And James is gonna die soon but have loads of kids and whatnot, better get started Potter."

The two boys began laughing again. Professor Gero dropped to his knees, and took both of their hands in his. He paused for a moment, then looked at them with serious eyes.

"You will both find peace under the willow tree."

He stood up promptly, and left to Heloise and Kathy Reed's table.

James and Sirius frowned at each other as Peter hurried over to them.

"What did you guys get? Gero said I'm gonna live till I'm one hundred and sixty and have fifteen children".

"It's a load of rubbish Pete, I wouldn't listen to it," laughed Sirius.

"Mate, you really need to sort that voice out....damn it!"

"Aha! Not so funny now, eh Potter?"

"Shut up."

~**~

James, Sirius and Peter sighed in relief as the torture that was Divination came to an end. The three friends slowly made their way from the North Tower towards their next lesson (History of Magic), uncaring whether they were late or not.

"Remind me why we chose Divination?" groaned James as they descended the spiral staircase, rubbing his throat every now and again. Perfect, his next lesson was with Lily too.

"No idea, I kinda hoped Divination could be like nap time," yawned Sirius.

"Stand and fight you scurvy dogs!" shouted a nearby painting.

"So I was thinking we should get straight back into the Animagi researching, what do you guys think of Saturday?" continued Sirius.

"Works for me, I reckon we'll figure it out soon," grinned James.

"James Potter's to do list, become an Animagi, marry Lily Evans...anything else?" asked Pete with a smirk.

James laughed, "No, that's all I can think of right now."

The three boys entered Professor Binns' classroom, Peter promptly walking into a desk.

"Sorry," he mumbled red faced to the mousy haired Hufflepuff at the desk.

"It's okay," she smiled.

Peter walked to his seat beside Remus, muttering under his breath about desks being too close to doorways.

~**~

"This is hopeless!"

Peter slammed his head forward onto the open book, finally having given up. It was Saturday, and the four Marauders had headed to the Room of Requirement, and Remus had dubbed it, to continue their research of Animagi. What seemed like hundreds of books were scattered haphazardly around the room, various passages underlines or circled. On the large desk set in the middle of the room, piles and piles of notes on what they had discovered so far towered, and the boys were still nowhere near finding out how to do it.

"This passage mentions meditation," James pointed out, "'_Only those with a clear mind and focused energy via meditation can successfully find the key to their inner animal'_, that sounds like meditation to me."

Remus leaned over to read the passage, the boys having put him in charge of reviewing the notes.

"But how do we know what to focus on?" cried Sirius in exasperation.

"I told you it wouldn't be easy," Remus chastised, "You're the ones who wanted to go through with it."

Sirius crossed his arms, and huffed, "Yeah, well..." he trailed off, "Sod off Lupin."

Remus merely smirked, and circled the passage James had been reading, whilst James jotted down a few notes.

Sirius glanced at his watch, and ran a hand through his dark hair, which seemed to be getting shaggier and shaggier as the days passed, "I think we should head off now, it's almost one."

James nodded, "Good job it's the weekend," he yawned, "Come on Pete," James prodded his friend, who squeaked, glancing around wildly.

"Wha – oh, right."

"How long do you think it'll take to fully transform?" whispered Peter as the boys made their way back to the Gryffindor tower.

"No idea, they don't give a specific amount of time, it just depends on the strength of the wizard," replied Remus quietly.

The boys continued on their path, until James suddenly stopped.

"What?" hissed Sirius.

"Snivellus," whispered James. The four boys watched as Snape grew closer. James brought a finger to his lips, and guided the boys into a shadowy doorway. They watched Snape wander past, looking around as thought waiting to catch somebody. He rounded a corner, and disappeared.

"Come on," started Sirius, going to follow him.

"I think we should just get back guys," whispered Remus.

"No way, I wanna know why he was skulking around near our common room," protested James.

"Guys its way past curfew," moaned Peter.

The boys were so busy arguing they didn't notice the invisibility cloak had slipped from around them. They also didn't see the four figures race around the corner and slam right into them.

"What the hell was that!" exclaimed James, pulling out his wand and lighting it. Sirius and Remus did the same, and three narrow strips of light rested upon four shocked looking young girls.

"Ladies...what are you doing out here?" asked James in surprise whilst Sirius, Remus and Peter offered hands to help the girls up.

"The same could be said for you," said Lily defiantly, adjusting the pile of brightly decorated cakes in her arms.

"Where've you been?" asked Remus, "Where did you get those cakes from?"

Holly slapped Sirius' hand away from her chocolate éclairs, "None of your business."

"Oh come on, how did you get all of these!" asked Sirius, eyeing the brownies in Chris' arms.

"Ahh, so you don't know everything," smirked Bridget, her arms full of doughnuts.

"Wait," said Remus slowly, "You've been to the kitchens, haven't you?"

Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris' faces split into identical evil grins.

"Perhaps," smiled Lily.

"Tell us how to get in there," demanded James, his voice cracking ever so slightly, causing him to blush.

"Nope," chuckled Holly, the other girls sniggering too, "It's a secret."

"Come on guys," Sirius wrapped his arm around Chris and flashed his most charming smile, "Please?"

Chris bit her lip, "Oh alright, go to the portrait of the fruit near the dungeons and tickle the pear."

"Chris!" cried Lily and Holly in unison whilst Bridget laughed.

"Thanks Chris," beamed Sirius. He turned to his friends, "Come on, to the kitchens!"

"Oh no you don't, it's far too late to be out," protested Lily.

"Fine," conceded James, "But you have to give us some of those," he pointed to the fat, fluffy cakes in Lily's arms, "Instead."

"No way," started Lily, pulling the cakes out of reach, "These are for an emergency."

"Emergency?" asked Peter.

"A girl thing," explained Holly, again slapping Sirius' hand away from the éclairs.

"Whatever, just give us a cake," demanded Sirius. He turned to Chris, "Please?"

"Oh here you go," snapped Chris, shoving a handful of brownies towards the boys.

"Can't you keep anything to yourself," said Holly in exasperation.

"It's the eyes," groaned Chris, "Get's me every time."

"Right, you've got what you wanted, now leave us alone!" snapped Lily.

The four girls bade goodnight and hurried off down the corridor.

"Kitchens?"

"Yep!"

~**~

The Gryffindor girls hurried quietly through the deserted common room, taking the staircase two at a time until they made it to their dormitory.

"That was close," Holly commented, dumping the éclairs onto her bed, "What do you think those lot were doing?"

"I don't even want to know," grumbled Lily, carefully unwrapping a cake, "Breaking rules, no doubt."

"Nothing like us, then," Chris giggled, chucking a brownie at Bridget, "I thought you two were sort of alright at the end of last year?"

Lily shook her head, "Just because we won the cup doesn't mean I want to be best friends with him – any of them!"

"Remus and Peter are alright," Bridget countered, "And you have to admit, James and Sirius are funny, they all are."

"You would say that," mumbled Lily, frowning, "Can we not talk about Potter, please?"

"Alright, alright, onto more important matters," Chris grinned, "Hogsmeade!"

"Here we go," Holly rolled her eyes to a sniggering Bridget and Lily, "What about it, Chris?"

"Dates, of course," the blonde replied promptly, "Who do we want to ask us?"

Holly, Bridget and Lily exchanged amused glances, "I don't think any of us actually thought of anything like that," Lily started, "Just you."

Chris rolled her eyes, "Reckon James'll ask Lils?"

"I thought we weren't going to talk about him," Lily groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Oh, definitely, remember the Quidditch incident, he'll be wanting to make up for it," smirked Holly, "That, and I overheard him telling Jonny over the summer that he wanted to take you to Hogsmeade."

"Why me," Lily whined, dodging the doughnut tossed at her by Bridget.

"Lils, you should be flattered! At least you have someone interested in you," she added darkly.

"And at least you don't like a boy whose goal in life is to snog the entire female population of Hogwarts," Holly continued bitterly. Lily, Chris and Bridget quirked an eyebrow.

"Black? I thought you said he wasn't worth it?"

"I don't know!" Holly cried, flinging her arms in the air for effect, "I try not to, but he's too damn good looking!"

"That he is, love," Chris patted Holly sympathetically on the shoulder, "He'll come around."

"What about Steven, he asked you last year, remember," Bridget said brightly, "Oh! And Tim! Lils, are you still tutoring him?"

Lily looked slightly taken aback, "I don't know, I haven't spoken to him since last year, and just because I'm helping him out doesn't mean he's going to ask me to Hogsmeade, I don't want to go with anyone!"

"Am I the only one who wants a date?" sighed Chris. The three girls nodded quickly in response.

"Urgh, fine! We'll just have a girl's day."

Lily, Holly and Bridget rolled their eyes, and simultaneously threw whatever cake they were holding at Chris, resulting in a rather fierce food fight. The girls knew how to have fun too, never to be upstaged by the Marauders!

~**~

_Sirius,_

_After talking it over with your father, we have both decided that as a punishment for your continued bad behaviour, we will not be allowing you to go to Hogsmeade. Please understand that it for your own good, and that until you start behaving yourself, we will ensure you miss out on all upcoming trips._

_We have informed your Head of House of our decision, and any further letters bearing this question will go unanswered until you turn yourself around. We warned you, Sirius, but you continued to mock us with unruly behaviour and rash decisions._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Walburga Black._

"DAMN IT!"

James winced as the sound of yet another lamp being hurled against a wall could be heard, and quickly waved his wand to repair said lamp.

Beside him, Remus re-read the letter Sirius had received, whilst Peter quietly fed owl treats to Holly's large black owl, Vespa. The owl hooted in what James swore was a concerned manner, and turned large dark eyes to Sirius, who was currently balling his hands into fists and cursing loudly.

"Why?! Why do they always have to bloody do this to me!" this time it was a water jug that met the same fate as the lamp, the liquid splashing the boys a little and soaking into the crimson carpet, "Bad behaviour my arse! We all know why they're doing this!" the newly repaired lamp was flung across the room, "BLOODY HELL!"

"Mate, we'll figure something out – we'll go to Dumbledore," James assured, waving his wand once again to repair the broken lamp.

"You don't understand," Sirius replied through gritted teeth, "They said they'd get me for this – for staying here," Sirius scrubbed his hands over his face, and slumped down onto his bed. James eyed him warily; sure that Sirius was finally going to tell the boys what had happened that night in the meeting with Dumbledore.

"When they came up to the school...they threatened to pull me out," Sirius' voice sounded broken (and not because of his entry into puberty), "They even had a go at Dumbledore...accused him of encouraging wizard/Muggle relations..."

_Sirius glanced uneasily at his parents, who were currently sat either side of him in three squashy chintz armchairs. He watched as Professor McGonagall entered the room, striding over to the polished wooden desk set before them._

_Dumbledore's office was odd; but refreshingly so. Small wooden end tables supported bizarre silver instruments, ticking and whirring and making the most peculiar noises. The walls were lined with hundreds – maybe even thousands – of books, from large leather tomes to thin, brightly coloured paper backs. Candles floated in the corners and up near the high ceiling, casting a friendly glow in the circular room. Near Dumbledore's desk, and empty perch stood, probably to house an owl or some form of bird – you could never tell with Dumbledore._

_Sirius glanced again towards the door, wondering if James and the others had made it into the room. He had no way of knowing of course; he hoped they had._

_Minutes later, Dumbledore strode into the room, tall and mighty looking, his deep crimson robes making him seem to glide. Sirius inwardly snorted; trust Dumbledore to wear such colours. The old headmaster caught Sirius' gaze, and in an instant, Sirius knew the boys had been caught. Feeling slightly downhearted, Sirius returned his gaze to the floor._

"_Mr Black, Mrs Black," Dumbledore inclined his head towards Sirius' parents, "It is a pleasure to meet you, once again."_

_Mrs Black maintained a stony silence, however Mr Black responded quickly, "Please do not waste out time with pleasantries, Headmaster, we have a serious matter to attend to."_

_Sirius fought to keep a straight face; he'd have to tell the boys that one._

_Dumbledore, however, seemed unfazed by the stinging response, and merely smiled, his blue eyes twinkling in the candlelight. He conjured another chair for Professor McGonagall, who quickly took a seat, and then moved behind his own desk._

"_Indeed. I understand you are not happy with Sirius' placement in Gryffindor. I can assure you, Mr Black, the Sorting Hat chooses only the house best suited to the child; it is of nobody's fault that young Sirius here was sorted into Gryffindor – it was simply meant to be."_

_Dumbledore fixed his eyes upon Sirius, unblinking and unmoving, and Sirius had a strong feeling that Dumbledore was actually looking into his mind; his parents had told him that was possible._

"_I don't care about the bloody hat!" Mr Black pounded a fist against the arm of his chair, "He is a Black! Our family has been sorted into Slytherin since our line began! Something is clearly going on here, and I intend to find out what it is!"_

"_Mr Black, please refrain from using such language around minors," Dumbledore's gaze turned from kind and calm, to rather stony, "Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor for a reason. I happen to know many families who have had a set house for centuries, only to find that their children are to be sorted into a different house. In fact, Miss Coddlesworth, a fellow Gryffindor of your son, is the first Gryffindor in her family for many a year. I happen to know her mother was a Ravenclaw, and her father was a Hufflepuff. Terribly brilliant at Charms, they both were...not so good at Divination –"_

"_I DON'T BLOODY CARE! LET ME GUESS! THE SPAWN OF A PAIR OF MUDBLOODS –"_

"_DO NOT USE THAT WORD IN THIS CASTLE!" Sirius jumped as Dumbledore rose to his feet, eyes blazing. The sheer power radiating from his Headmaster was enough to reinforce Sirius' belief that Dumbledore truly was the greatest wizard alive, "I will not tolerate such names, blood status is of no significance when it comes to my students," Dumbledore had lowered his voice now, and slowly sat back down. Mr and Mrs Black both looked as if the Headmaster had stunned them, their moths hanging slackly open, their eyes wide._

"_If Sirius wishes to be moved to Slytherin so desperately, I can assure you we will do everything in our power to help him. We do not hold our students in their houses against their will – no organization within this school demands such devotion," something in that statement seemed to anger the older Black's to no ends. Mr Black had turned an interesting shade of purple, and Mrs Black gasped._

"_Sirius," Dumbledore continued as if nothing had been amiss, and turned to face the younger boy, "If you so wish, I will not hesitate to arrange for you to be moved into Slytherin house. Just say the word, and it will be done. Or would you like to remain in Gryffindor?"_

_Sirius was a brave boy; at least, he liked to think he was. He knew where he wanted to go, or rather, where he wanted to stay, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't a little nervous to admit it in front of his very clearly riled parents. Sure, he had told them over the Christmas that he wanted to stay in Gryffindor, but right now, something made him hesitate, just a little._

"_Well," Mrs Black hissed, "Out with it boy."_

_His mind was made up._

"_I – I want to stay in Gryffindor," and rather than stare at the floor, Sirius met Dumbledore's eyes, and could have sworn the ageing Headmaster smiled for a second._

"_Very well, you may –"_

"_NO!" Mr Black rose from his seat this time, "I will not have it! I demand he be placed in Slytherin! I will not have such shame brought upon the noble name of Black!"_

"_Mr Black, it is Sirius' decision," Professor McGonagall spoke up for the first time, and Sirius was more than a little surprised to hear the finality in her voice, "Gryffindor is where he will say, as he has already decided."_

"_Boy, what have we told you," Mr Black rounded on Sirius, who shrank back a little, "Do you not care about the shame you bring upon us?"_

_Sirius stared back defiantly into his father's grey eyes, so much alike his, yet so different._

"_I want to stay in Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat gave me a choice on that day; Slytherin or Gryffindor. It said I would be best suited to Gryffindor, the only thing that made my Slytherin choice was my name...I won't go." _

_Mr Black looked ready to explode._

"_Why, you insolent little..." his father raised his hand, ready to strike. Sirius flinched, waiting for the blow...but it never came._

_Suddenly, Sirius felt himself being dragged out of his seat by Professor McGonagall, and Dumbledore had somehow managed to place himself between Mr Black and his son, his arm gripping Mr Black's wrist, his wand in the other._

"_I will not allow you to manhandle my students, Mr Black," Dumbledore's eyes were flashing dangerously, undoubtedly filled with anger._

_Mr Black glared at Dumbledore, and shook his arm out of the Headmaster's grip. _

_Sirius watched the exchange with a mixture of anger, fear and awe, barely aware that McGonagall still had a firm grip of his arm where she had pulled him out of harm's way._

"_You'll regret this," Mr Black rounded on his son once more, "Mark my words, if we have to pull you out of this godforsaken school, we will. Don't think you've gotten away with it."_

_Sirius narrowed his eyes, but didn't respond. Mr Black smoothed down his black robes, then turned to his wife._

"_Walburga, come."_

_Mrs Black stood at once, and without a backwards glance, strode from the office. Sirius watched in a stunned silence, before turning to Dumbledore._

"_I...I..."_

"_Minerva, could you please take Sirius back to his room, no doubt Mr Potter, Mr Lupin and Mr Pettigrew will be awaiting to hear what had happened, " Dumbledore smiled slightly at Sirius, "Do not worry, Sirius. You will remain in Gryffindor as long as you choose to."_

_Sirius nodded, unable to find words, and allowed McGonagall to lead him out of the office..._

James, Remus and Peter sat in a stunned silence, and even Vespa was unusually quiet. They exchanged concerned glances with each other, then turned back to face Sirius.

"Blimey, mate...you should have told us sooner –"

James was cut off by Sirius, "What, and let you all know just how evil my family actually is?" the dark haired boy ran a hand through his hair, "Why did I have to be born into the mental family?"

"Test of character?" James shrugged. Sirius was silent for a moment, before he quickly started to laugh.

"Bugger off...listen, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, I just –"

Remus waved a hand, "No, don't worry about it. We all have secrets; I didn't even tell you lot mine."

Sirius watched his friends for a moment, and suddenly understood just what Remus had meant that night they discovered his lycanthropy. They weren't condemning him because his parents were so clearly crazy, they weren't judging him...they were just being how they always had...his best friends...his brothers.

Soft swoosh sounded, and Vespa suddenly appeared beside Sirius, large brown eyes gazing dolefully back at him.

"See, even Vespa agrees," chortled James, "Mate, we promise we'll find a way around this, even if we have to sneak you out."

Sirius tore his gaze from the owl, and his face broke into a wide grin.

"Cheers mate...it means a lot."

* * *

_Any good? Load of old coddswallop (I love that word), let me know :)_

_**quick authors note:** the title comes from a wonderful, and very suitable quote I found._

_'The bond that links your true family, is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each others lives'_

_I thought that was perfect to describe Sirius' relationship with the Marauders._

_Also, throughout this whole chapter, i was listening to 'We All Stand Together' by Paul Mccartney and the Frog Chorus (amazing song). I thought that was extremely fitting too :)_

_Grace ~_


	19. Hogsmeade

_A/N: Chapter nineteen :D enjoy!_

_review responses:_

_**evershort:** :D what would life be without a little hyperness! It's great! Yeah, they will be his legal guardians when he goes to live with them, but that's not until sixth year....I think...I need to check that actually. Hmm...I honestly have no idea what he would have done...J.K has such a vivid imagination, that it could have been anything! Maybe even threatening Filch with a dragon! (ok, maybe not _that_ drastic, but you get my meaning :D ). I hope you like what I've imagined at any rate :) Thank you :D I'm glad you're still enjoying the story, please enjoy this next chapter, and thank you for reading :)_

_**Geniia:** Oh, there'll be plenty of pranks this year, what with the aid of Zonko's and all :D And yes, Lily is in for a rough time later on (sort of a punishment for James' years of torture ;) ). Thank you :D and thank you as aways for reading. I'm glad you liked it, and please enjoy this chapter too :)_

_2nd review: Thank you! The Black's are just awful, it's no wonder he ran away! Thank god he has his friends, eh? Haha his smile is a winner, ill admit that. Umm, I think McGonagall was in her 60's during HP, so probably about 40 during the Marauders era...I couldnt be certain though. I think maybe Remus' lycanthropy would've caused a bit of trouble for him to become an Animagi, plus they only became Animagi to be with him during the full moon, so there probably wasn't any point. You'll find out soon...you've already seen the name (hint) again, thank you for reading, and please enjoy :)_

_**Fairywolf:** Thank you :D I'm glad you enjoyed it all. Yeah, Gero is a strange old fellow...I picture him as quite a sneaky chap, tbh. Writers moment :D Hmm, that sounds pretty good :D I may have to steal it from you (hope you don't mind) thank you for the suggestions, and for reading, as always, and I sincerely hope you enjoy this next chapter!_

_**MissWendyBird:** Haha I'm glad I didn't have to go into too much detail! Well, a midnight sugar (and chocolate) run is often needed at certain times. Ahh, I still can't get enough of the serious/Sirius pun...I dunno if I've used it yet...I think I might have too soon. And Christina's second name Coddlesworth, came from the word Coddswallop...I couldn't resist :D Glad to see you're still enjoying the story, thank you very much for reading, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**Bookworm315:** It brings a tear to my eye haha. There'll be more from the animagi next chapter, like the book said, it took them quite awhile to actually figure out how to do it (bear in mind, they've been researching since second year, so pretty soon). Peter definitely has a lot of rat like tendancies already (well he will...*angers greatly*). Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last :)_

_**Jessica F:** Thank you! Wow, not that I should be happy to distract you from your school work...but XD anyway! I don't think I'd be able to manage two chapters a day, sorry :(, I can barely scrape by with one, but I promise i'll keep daily updates going, I hope thats alright :) Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter too :)_

_**2Lazy2SignIn:** Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! No, I get the feeling Mr Black was quite a bully, actually. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter too :)_

_**BloodMoonRising:** Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for continuing to read, and please enjoy this chapter as well :)_

_**pinkhearts:** Thank you! Well, I think Sirius does have a thing for Holly, but I also think he's not really a 'one girl guy' so to speak, unlike dear James. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too :)_

_**splatteredpaint:** Thank you! Oh, I promise, the map is coming VERY soon, they do have that handy little list, after all :) Haha, oh that's a brilliant idea, especially since they're illegal! I know, por Sirius, I felt awful writing that part (I wrote it ages ago, but still felt awful). I like to think Dumbledore was taking a stand by wearing those colours, you know. Yup, it just proves he was meant for Gryffindor's house! The last part - 'to repair said lamp', if that's what you meant, it means he repaired that lamp Sirius had just broken, kind of a shorter way of putting it (I hope that's the part you meant, otherwise I'm going to look a right fool haha). Thank you as always, for reading, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!_

_**ofallthesunnydays:** cool, I'll go and buy them when I next get paid. Hope you like the next chapter, and thanks for reading :)_

_**Zephyra-hime:** Welcome to th story :) Thank you. Yeah, but I think Lily is a little too stubborn for her own good, almost to the point of point blank refusing to acknowledge James' or her feelings, you know? I'm glad you like how I've written the boys, I simply adore the Marauders. Thank you for reading, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**Queen of Hearts:** There'll be some Lily/Snape coming up shortly, I promise. Thanks for reading, and I hope you like this chapter too!_

_Disclaimer: HP isn't mine...I won't even pretend...it hurts too much *sob*_

_on with the show..._

_

* * *

_

**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

**_Hogsmeade_**

"First Hogsmeade visit is this weekend."

James turned away from the notice board, his brow furrowing deeply. He crossed the common room back to his three friends, who were all looking equally as down.

"What're you gonna do? Did you talk to McGonagall?" James asked, taking a seat beside Sirius. The grey eyed boy nodded.

"I saw her after Transfiguration yesterday, she said there's nothing they can do, so long as I don't have a permission slip, I can't go."

"What about Dumbledore?" Remus suggested, "Can't he do anything?"

"I asked, she said no," Sirius leant back in his chair, scowling, "Bloody parents."

James sighed, running a hand through his hair, messing it up even further, "Well, looks like we're missing this one till we figure something out."

Sirius shot a bemused look at James, "What do you mean 'we'?"

James quirked an eyebrow, "You didn't really believe we'd leave you behind, right?"

Sirius seemed to really consider it for a moment, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, we're not," Remus answered for him, "Come on, I'm hungry."

The four Marauders stood up, Sirius still frowning.

"Listen, you lot go to Hogsmeade...I'll figure something out, I can use that passage behind the mirror."

James, however, shook his head, "No good. Didn't you hear? Filch blocked it, something about caving in the entire thing."

"WHAT!? When did this happen?!"

James shrugged, "Dunno. Jonny told me, turns out he knew about it all along."

"There might be another way out," piped up Peter, "We haven't searched everywhere yet."

"What about Hogwarts; A History?" suggested Remus, "You know, the entire time we've been exploring, we never once thought of reading it."

Sirius waved a hand, "That book won't tell us where any secret passages are, you really think they'd print something like that? Listen, you lot are going, and I'm staying. And if you refuse, I'll land myself in detention for Saturday, then there'll be no point," the tone in Sirius' voice seemed to end the short lived argument, though the three other friends weren't happy about it.

"What about the invisibility cloak? Sneak past Filch," James said after a moment's pause. At this, Sirius' eyes seemed to light up.

"Brilliant! Why in the name of Merlin didn't we think of that before?!"

"We were too busy trying to forge your dad's signature," chuckled Remus, "I suppose that could work."

"Suppose? It's bound to work! Potter, you're a genius!" cried Sirius.

James grinned stupidly, "I try," he paused for a moment, "So...me and Lily haven't argued this year." "Well, it has only been two weeks," mused Remus as the boys entered the Great Hall, taking seats at the end of the Gryffindor table.

"That's beside's the point," said James shortly, "Anyway...I was thinking...maybe I should ask her out...you know...to Hogsmeade."

Remus and Sirius exchanged worried glances.

"Mate, do you remember the last time you asked her out?" asked Sirius.

"Maybe," snapped James.

"It didn't exactly go well," surmised Peter, picking up a piece of toast.

"I'm perfectly aware of that Peter," muttered James, "But we've been alright, she hasn't had a go at me once, not even when we put that toad slime in Slughorn's tea."

"To be fair James, she didn't actually know about that," said Remus.

"Well what about when me and Sirius got detention for turning Janet Sharpe's hair pink?"

"She hates Janet," said Sirius, "No one would have a go at us for that."

"Alright I get it," mumbled James.

"Listen, if you want to ask her out, just go ahead and do it," smiled Remus, "Just...be tactful."

"What?" asked James and Sirius in unison.

Remus shook his head and picked up his morning copy of the Prophet.

"Any news?" asked Peter.

Remus shook his head, "Nothing worth mentioning."

"Well at least something's going right," mumbled James, stabbing moodily at his sausages. He looked up, and saw Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris enter the hall.

"Here's your chance," hissed Sirius, "Go for it."

James nodded, and waited until Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris had taken their seats a little way away from the boys. He stood up, and headed towards her.

"Uhh...Evans?"

Lily looked up, and James' hand immediately jumped to his hair. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Yes?"

"Umm...so...Hogsmeade is coming up...and I was wondering..."

"No, I won't go with you," Lily replied immediately. James frowned.

"Oh...alright...whatever," he stalked back to his friends, who immediately huddled together to hear what had happened.

"Harsh Lils," said Holly, buttering her toast.

"What? Does he honestly think I'd go out with him after the way he asked me last year?"

Holly shook her head, "That was last year Lils, you know, I really think you should give him a chance."

"You're only saying that because he's your family," sighed Lily.

"No, Chris and Bridget think so too," said Holly pointedly.

Chris nodded, her mouth full of eggs.

"We do," confirmed Bridget.

Lily rolled her eyes and went back to her cereal.

"Are you guys going with anybody?" she asked after a moment.

"Naa, we said we'd have a girl's day, right? We can go shopping," said Chris brightly.

"Cool, I can't wait".

Further down the table, James filled the boys in on the brief exchange with Lily.

"Maybe you weren't trying hard enough," mused Sirius, stabbing his fork into a piece of bacon.

"I don't think that's it," Remus said warningly, his own breakfast untouched. James, however, shook his head.

"No, Sirius is right. Next time, I need to try harder...I need to do something to prove I do really like her."

"Oh, this is not going to go down well."

~**~

The first Hogsmeade weekend was bright, yet chilly. Lily and the girls hurried down to the entrance hall, permission slips clutched tightly in their hands. There was a small queue waiting at the door; apparently someone had been caught trying to sneak out.

"Think you can sneak out without permission, eh boy? Get back to your common room!" the girls watched a sneering Filch dragging what appeared to be Sirius Black by the collar of his shirt, the dark haired boy struggling to break free of his grasp.

"How did you do it, boy? Invisibility charm?"

"Something like that," Sirius mumbled, not wanting to drop James in it. Back at the school entrance, James, Remus and Peter were all watching Sirius with looks of utter devastation on their faces.

"Wonder what he tried," Holly whispered to Lily, who was watching with a small frown.

"No idea, come on, Filch is back," the girls pulled out their permission slips and handed them over to Filch, then set off to the carriages that would take them to the small wizarding village of Hogsmeade.

"Oh this is brilliant," cried Chris as the girls climbed out of their carriage.

"Where to first?" asked Holly, adjusting her hat so it protected her ears from the September chill.

"Honeydukes?" offered Lily. The other three girls nodded, and the four skipped down the high street merrily towards the famous sweetshop.

James huffed, puffed, whined and groaned all the way down to the village. He didn't want to come without Sirius; it just wasn't right. Their first time at Hogsmeade should've been with all four Marauders, not one of them missing.

"Let's just go back, we can't leave him," James moaned, having to be physically pulled down the high street by his friends.

"Sirius won't want you missing out on this, he'll be fine," Remus assured him, but he wasn't fooling James. He could tell Remus was just as upset by this as he was.

"Fine, but I'm not gonna enjoy myself!"

~**~

Back in the Gryffindor third years dormitory, a copy of Hogwarts; A History was being thoroughly torn apart by an angry dark haired Black. He didn't care that Remus would most likely murder him for destroying his book; he _needed_ to get to Hogsmeade.

"Bloody hell!" Sirius cried, throwing the book across the room. He stood up, running a hand through his hair frantically, before striding towards the dormitory door and yanking it open.

It took him less than five minutes to reach the library, his fast legs and the constant stream f curses from his mouth making time speed by. Unfortunately. The library gave him no more help than the book on Hogwarts had given, and the Room of Requirement had failed him; Sirius was once again left with no way of getting to Hogsmeade.

He stalked huffily from the library, heading back up to the Gryffindor tower. Passing the Entrance Hall, he briefly thought about finding his brother and maybe spending the day with him, before deciding against it.

He turned along the third floor corridor, and began slowly walking down, kicking his feet as he went. He'd get his parents back for this, for punishing him like this. It was torture; right now his fellow classmates were probably having the time of their lives, whilst he was stuck wandering the corridors as aimlessly as a ghost. Perfect.

He stopped, leaning against a statue of a rather ugly one eyed witch, and slowly slid to the floor. Nobody would bother him here; he couldn't face being the only third year left in the common room.

If only there had been another passage out. The boys had indeed inspected the passage behind the mirror, only to find the thing completely caved in. Apparently the rumours were true, Filch must've realised the boys had found out about it, and gone to all necessary ends to make sure they couldn't use it again.

He glanced up at the old crone's statue, smiling wryly.

"Fancy opening that hump up for me, eh?"

Of course, the witch didn't respond – but really, anything was possible in this castle. Sirius slumped back against the statue, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, trying desperately not to think of all the things he was currently missing out on.

He pulled out James' invisibility cloak, and threw it over himself, deciding that if anyone happened to come along the corridor, at least he wouldn't be bothered. He noticed, however, that as he pulled out the cloak, a small piece of parchment fell out alongside it. It looked to be an extract of some sort, probably from one of the books he'd torn apart in the Room of Requirement.

'_And for those looking to escape, they need only Dissend, and the way shall be shown'_

Sirius crunched up the piece of parchment and stuffed it back in his pocket. He stared haughtily around the corridor, occasionally blowing the stray piece of hair that often fell into his eyes. Then it hit him. He reached into his pocket again, and pulled out the crumpled piece of parchment.

'_need only Dissend'_

"Dissend...what..." Sirius trailed off, glancing up at the one eyed witch.

"It's worth a shot," he mumbled, and with that, stood up, and pulled out his wand. He cleared his throat, and then said in a very clear, determined voice, _"Dissend."_

Nothing.

Sirius growled, his hands balling into fists. He glared at the statue, then proceeded to whack it with his wand.

"Dissend! Dissend-us! Dissend-o! Dissend-ium! Diss –"

The statue began to move. The old crone's hump started to split, revealing a small, but easily accessible entrance. Sirius stared wide eyed for a moment, not quite believing his luck. He raised his head to the high stone ceiling, and grinned.

"Someone up there likes me."

~**~

James, Remus and Peter exited Zonko's laden down with tricks and tools that would greatly aid their 'Maraudery', and of course, as many presents as possible for Sirius. The boys were like kids in a sweetshop, spending a lot of time arguing over what they should buy and what wasn't worth it.

"Where next?" asked Remus as they headed down the high street.

"Honeydukes," Peter pointed to a brightly coloured sweet shop opposite them, almost dropping several of his packages in the process.

The boys started towards the quaint little shop, the doorbell tinkling as they entered. All three jaws dropped.

Luminous walls were lined with every sweet and treat imaginable. Shelves stacked high with thick blocks of chocolate, barrels full to the brim with brightly coloured jellies and sweets. In one corner, a shelf devoted completely too large Sherbet balls, which caused the suckers to levitate off the ground for a few minutes. Next to the Sherbet balls, were boxes upon boxes of chattering ice mice, and on the other side, piles of Droobles Best Blowing gum and Bert Botts Every Flavour beans were stacked.

Over on the other side of the shop was a section devoted to 'Unusual tastes', including Blood flavoured lollipops, Acid Pops and Cockroach Clusters.

And that was just a quick overview.

"Blimey...look at this place!" cried James, rushing forward, almost knocking a display of Pepper Imps _(breath fire for your friends)_ over in the process. The boys quickly spread out, grabbing as much as they could carry, regardless of the cost.

Down in the old, dusty cellar of Honeydukes, a small thirteen year old crept amongst the many boxes, barrels and containers, his grey eyes lighting up with excitement. He didn't have a clue where he was, of course, but from the smell of the place, he had a fair idea.

Mr Flume, a wizened old wizard and owner of Honeydukes, hurried down a pair of rickety stairs, quickly grabbing two boxes of what looked to be Chocolate Frogs, and returned to the shop floor. Sirius waited for a moment, before throwing the invisibility cloak over his head, and darting up the stairs.

It was far better than he had ever imagined. In fact, he didn't think his imagination even stretched this far. Sirius carefully wound his way through the crowd, his eyes drinking in the sight before him. He spotted Holly and Lily over by a display of Fizzing Whizbees, and grinned evilly,

"Argh!"

"What?" Lily jumped, turning to see a horrified Holly clutching her cheek. Holly mouthed wordlessly, looking frantically around her.

"What? What happened?"

Holly turned back to her friend, looking utterly bemused.

"Someone just kissed my cheek!"

Chuckling to himself, Sirius continued to explore the shop, before his gaze rested on three boys currently arguing over whether an Acid Pop would burn a hole right through your tongue, or just part way through.

"I'm telling you! Suck on that thing long enough and it'll go right through!" James protested, brandishing the sour green lollipop in Remus' face.

Remus merely shook his head, "They wouldn't sell something so dangerous. Imagine if a Muggle got their hands on it!"

"Try it then," Peter said excitedly, handing Remus a lolly. Remus eyed the sweet with distaste, and opened his mouth to respond.

"Yeah, Lupin. Try it."

"Sirius!" James yelped, flinging around wildly. The distinct chuckle of their friend could be heard, and he suddenly appeared before them, cloak in hand and triumphant smile across his face.

"How'd you get here!" exclaimed Remus, hastily putting the Acid Pop back in its display. Sirius laughed at his friends awestruck expressions, and tapped his nose.

"Magic."

James rolled his eyes, and clapped his friend on the back, "Whatever, this is brilliant mate!"

Remus and Peter nodded vehemently, their joy evident in their smiles.

"So, how's it been?" asked Sirius casually, glancing around the shop. His three friends quickly launched into the story of their first ever visit to Zonko's Joke Shop, something that caught Sirius' attention immediately. After purchasing their sweets, the boys stepped out into the high street, looking it up and down.

"I fancy a Butterbeer, we should go to the Three Broomsticks," suggested James. The others nodded, and headed for the small pub at the end of the street.

Once inside, James could understand why the pub was such a favourite amongst Hogwarts students. It was quaint, and cosy, with a friendly atmosphere. Jovial music chimed in the background, almost drowned out by the excited chatter of the customers. The boys waved to Jonny, who raised an eyebrow at Sirius, and Olivia, who were sitting in a secluded corner looking rather cosy.

They stepped up to the bar, and waited to be served.

"What can I get you boys?"

A pretty, curly haired woman and appeared in front of them. James' eyebrows raised a little. Since when were old people good looking?

"Uhh...four butterbeers please."

"Coming right up," she grinned at the boys and went to fetch their drinks.

"First time in Hogsmeade?" she asked when she returned with the beverages.

"Yeah," smiled Sirius, "Of course we had to come here, this place is almost as famous as Hogwarts itself."

The barmaid chuckled and waved her hand, "Such a charmer. I'm Madam Rosmerta".

"I'm James; this is Sirius, Remus and Peter."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you boys, just give me a call if you need anything," she flashed another grin and bustled off to serve another customer.

The boys wound their way through the pub and found an empty table near the back.

"You know...she's quite good looking," mused Sirius.

"We gathered by the way you were ogling her," chuckled Remus, taking a sip of the warm butterbeer.

"A'right boys," sounded a booming voice from behind them. The boys turned and saw Hagrid squeezing through the crowded inn, knocking several drinks over in the process.

"Hagrid! How are you?" called James. James was particularly fond of Hagrid, having spent many a detention with him.

"Enjoyin' Hogsmeade?" he grinned.

"Course, this place is great," beamed Sirius, "How are the Hippogriffs?"

Hagrid's smile grew. Sirius seemed to have a natural affinity with Hippogriffs, and had spent more than a few nights helping Hagrid groom and feed the beasts during detention with James.

"They're doin' great Sirius. Well, bes' be off, lot's to do."

He waved goodbye and struggled towards the door, booming a greeting to four girls as they entered.

"Four butterbeers please," said a rather flushed Lily. The girls had spent most of the day enjoying the sights of the village, and had even taken a trip to the Shrieking Shack, which was unusually quiet, saying as it was rumoured to be terribly haunted, before their trip to Honeydukes, which still had Holly baffled.

"Comin' right up m'dears," beamed Madam Rosmerta. Holly scanned the pub, and spotted James and the boys in the far corner. She waved, did a double take, mimicked the quirked eyebrow her brother had given Sirius, then turned to collect her butterbeer. Once again, James noticed Sirius' eyes lingering a little too long on Holly. What was it with those two!?

The girls took a seat on the other side of the pub, disappointing James (and unknown to the others, Sirius) in the process. James liked to think it was because they couldn't be bothered to squeeze their way over to them, but knew that probably wasn't the case. Lily was a strange one. One minute, she was almost friendly, the next, completely cold. He wondered if he'd ever figure that girl out. Probably not.

The boys spent the rest of the day strolling through the many streets of Hogsmeade, popping into almost every shop they passed. James and Sirius insisted upon returning to Zonko's, whilst Remus made them stop off at Scrivenshafts for a quick scout around for a new quill. They spotted the girls in Gladrags Wizardwear, James making quite a fool out of himself by waving like an idiot through the shop window to a rather embarrassed Lily. Apparently her rejection to his date proposal had not gotten to the young boy, and he was still as eager as ever.

All too soon, the boys were forced to head back up to the school. They started up the street, when Sirius suddenly turned, heading for Honeydukes.

"Where're you going?" called James. Sirius turned, and grinned.

"I can't go back with you lot, they'll know I snuck out...meet me at the statue of the one eyed witch when you get back, the one on the third floor," and with that, Sirius Black disappeared from view.

The boys hurried back to the school, eager to see just how Sirius had managed to get into Hogsmeade unseen. They skidded to a halt in front of the one eyed crone, looking round expectantly.

"Where is he, he did say –," James was cut off by the sudden movement of the statue before him. The witches hump opened, revealing a small entrance, coupled with a shaggy haired boy clambering through.

"Mate, this...this...wow!" breathed James, whilst Remus bent to inspect the statue and Peter merely bounced on the heels of his feet.

"Passwords Dissendium. Don't ask how I found it, it as pure luck – like that time Pete fell into that mirror," he chuckled at the memory.

"Adding that one to the list then, eh Sirius?" grinned James, turning to face his bright eyed friend. Sirius nodded affirmatively.

"Definitely!"

~**~

The first Quidditch match of the season was coming up, and Jonny seemed more determined than ever to keep Gryffindor at the top. After tasting success, Jonny seemed to be working the team harder than ever. This was his last year, and his last Quidditch season, before he set off into the real world.

However, the weather took a turn for the worse midweek, and even though it was only early October, it had begun to snow! A blizzard had settled over Hogwarts, and Jonny seemed at his wits end after finding out they wouldn't be playing Slytherin.

"Why?"

Jonny ran his hands through his hair, "Apparently that little prank you and Sirius pulled on Hector Ringland had a bit of a lasting effect."

"What!?" cried James, "It was a bat bogey hex! How does that have a lasting effect! He was perfectly fine when he was taunting Peter yesterday!"

"I know, they've only said this to get out of it. It's mucked up the training though. We'll be playing Ravenclaw tomorrow, then Hufflepuff, and Slytherin last," he sighed, and wandered over to the changing room window.

"This is my last Quidditch season guys...I gotta win it."

There was a desperation in his eyes that made the entire team even more determined to win. They knew Quidditch meant a lot to him, but not this much.

"Jonny," Holly stepped up and placed a hand on his arm, "Calm down. We can do this. Remember when you were in second year, and you played through that thunderstorm? The team won then."

Jonny smiled weakly, "We lost half of the team to the weather though, it was sheer luck."

"Good job we have talent then," grinned Sirius, "Cheer up mate, like you said, this is your last chance, and I don't wanna be handing that trophy back over just yet."

Jonny grinned at his team, his worries disappearing slightly.

"You're right...we can do this, I know we can!"

~**~

"WE CAN'T DO THIS JONNY!"

Holly pushed sopping wet hair out of her eyes and came to a halt before her barely visible brother. The snow was falling thick and fast, and a harsh wind had severely damaged their performance.

"WE CAN'T FORFEIT! WE'LL LOSE THE GAME!" shouted Jonny.

"WE'VE ALREADY LOST KELLY AND GEOFF, JONNY THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"

Jonny ignored his sister and flew back to his post. Holly screamed in frustration and sped off to find James. Ravenclaw were up by only ten points, but in this weather, it was impossible to play. If Ravenclaw caught the snitch, it was over.

James spotted Holly streaking up the pitch. He tossed the Quaffle to her, who passed it back. James attempted to score, but missed when a particularly strong gust of wind blew him off course. He couldn't even hear the cheers of the crowd over the roar of the wind. It was hopeless.

He heard a whistle blow faintly in the distance, and groaned. He turned, and saw blue blurs piling on top of each other. They had lost.

The team didn't see Jonny for awhile after the game. Holly said he'd gone to find Olivia and drown his sorrows with some firewhisky he'd somehow acquired. The Gryffindors were all rather subdued when they returned to the common room. Nobody blamed them, the weather had made it near impossible to see, and they still weren't out of the running. If Ravenclaw lost to Hufflepuff in the next match, they'd be in with a chance. All of their hopes rested on the next match.

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_Did you like it? :D let me know_

_Grace ~_


	20. Christina's Guide to the Future

_A/N: Chapter Twenty...please enjoy :D_

_**Dedication:** I would like to dedicate the previous chapter to **Fairywolf**, who I'm pretty sure is a seer of somesort :D if you want to know what I'm talking about, read her review from chapter 17, I think it was :D_

_review responses:_

_**evershort:** I know...damn weather! Haha, good timing :D Ahhh I've seen it too! It looks absolutely amazing! I was devastated when they pushed back the release date, but only a few months to go :D and, Deathly Hallows is a two parter, but that's not out till 2011 I think. Oh well. I'm glad you liked it :D Thank you for continuing to read and review the story, and please enjoy this chapter :)_

_**Geniia:** Thank you :D I'm glad you enjoyed it! Well, at least they get to run around the forest as animals once a month together (even if one of them is ratheer dangerous!) I'm sure they had a blast! Yeah, I thought that would be a nice way to show their loyalty a little more, I mean, Hogsmeade is VERY important, after all. Haha, I've mentioned a few random names in this story, so there might be quite a list (I'm awful, aren't I?) Thank you, I'm glad you like the Marauders as I've written them :D Thank you for reading and reviewing, as always, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**Bookworm315:** Here it is, for your enjoyment :D Hope you like it, and thanks for reading and reviewing!_

_**Fairywolf:** Thank you! The Woes of Miss Evans is one of my favourites too, actually :) Well, I can safely say that at some point, Buckbeak will be making an appearance, (Though I'm not going to say if it's this story, or the sequel ;) ). I love your suggestions, I have a little list of them, and their kept in a file all to themselves on my comp :D And thank you for letting me have them :D Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the next chapter :D_

_**genjutsumaster:** Hi, welcome to the story :) I'm glad you've been enjoying it! Thank you for stumbling across, reading and reviewing the story :D and please enjoy the next chapter!_

_**BloodMoonRising:** Thank you! Glad you liked it. Here's the next one, right on time I hope :D Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much :)_

_**MissWendyBird:** Haha, though sugar runs are very fun! Sirius and Holly are rather cute, but I have no idea where I'm going to go with them...I find things changing so much with all of my pairings, actually! It's frustrating me having to write about James and Lily, haha, I'd love to just disregard canon and have them together right now! But I promised myself I'd stick as close to canon as possible. Yeah, that was where the inspiration came from, but I remember it was only raining then, I thought I'd throw a bit of snow in just to shake things up :D Thank you very much for continuing to read and review, and please enjoy this next chapter :)_

_**splatteredpaint:** I know :(, but there's still two more matches to go...maybe they'll do it :D It's fine about the reviewing, you've reviewed every single chapter I've written, I can't thank you enough for it! Oh, coffee is an awful drink, but I must admit I drank it alot when I had my exams and was forced to pull all nighters! Thank you, I'm especially glad you liked Sirius' discovery. Hmm...maybe...I think I'll keep it secret a little while longer haha. I think she's probably the main reason, actually! Thank you once again for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter._

_p.s: good luck for your exams!_

_**Queen of Hearts:** No, no, I knew what you meant :) This isn't Snape/Lily, and any romantic feelings between them will be strictly one sides to snape. I personally like Snape as a character, but that was only when I found out what he had been doing for Dumbledore haha. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!_

_**maybegirl:** Welcome to the story :D Yay! I'm glad you like Holly, she's another fave of my own, although if I'm honest, I love them all! You'll here more about the Animagi very soon, and the Marauders Map should be just around the corner :D Oh, I'd love to write something like that...I'd love to write anything of my own, tbh, but it's just finding the right idea that's got me stuck atm! Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own HP...none of it....natta....zip....zilch...:(_

_

* * *

_

**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

**_Chapter Twenty_**

**_Christina's Guide to the Future_**

September and October passed in a haze of bad weather and bad spirits. To cheer themselves up, the Marauders threw themselves into various pranks and night time explorations, as well as the continued researching of Animagi. The news of several more attacks further subdued the students; however the regular trips to Hogsmeade certainly helped.

Tired of James waiting around for Lily, Sirius decided it was time he moved on, and set up dates for the two of them on the next Hogsmeade trip. He, unfortunately, still had to sneak into the small village via the one-eyed- witch, however Sirius professed that he probably wouldn't enjoy it as much if he didn't have to sneak out anyway. Sirius always loved a bit of risk taking.

Remus, unfortunately, was two days away from another full moon, and decided to get as much rest as possible for the transformation. Peter, who wasn't as confident with girls as James and Sirius, had decided to go with the girls, much to the annoyance of James and Sirius, who wondered why they would invite Peter along, but not them.

James waited in the entrance hall for his date. Sirius had already left with Ravenclaw third year Theresa Byrd, a pretty dark skinned girl the boys shared Divination with. James was going with Theresa's friend Laura Cowell. He vaguely remembered her from their Charms lessons. She was quite a good looking girl, with long blonde hair and soft brown eyes. He glanced at his watch, then looked up, and spotted her walking towards him with a wide grin on her face.

"Hi James," she greeted breathily. James smiled in return, and the two set off for the carriages.

"So...how've you been?" asked James, grasping for something to talk about. Contrary to popular belief, he was a complete idiot when it came to girls. Moments with Lily more than proved that.

"Oh, fine. The homework's been piling up a little, but nothing I can't handle."

James felt a little more at ease as the continued chatting. It turned out Laura was quite the Quidditch fan, and they spent the entire afternoon teasing each other over the previous matches (Ravenclaw had indeed lost to Hufflepuff, putting Gryffindor back in the running), and arguing over Quidditch teams. She was a nice girl, he thought, but a little too silly. She seemed to giggle an awful lot over the simplest of things, but a nice girl nonetheless.

After wandering around the village a little, having a nice time, yet nothing too spectacular, the two finally succumbed to the cold, and headed back. James paused as they entered the entrance hall.

"So...uhh...this was fun," he started.

"Yeah...it was," she grinned, soft brown eyes gazing dolefully back at him.

"Listen, I...well...I'm not really looking for anything...you know...serious. I...uhhh," his face instantly fell at the look on her own.

"What do you mean," she frowned, "Don't you like me?"

James bit his lip and ran his hand through his hair. Behind him, a round, small boy, a red head and two blondes stopped to eavesdrop.

"No...I mean, you're great and all...but this was just a date...right?"

Laura scowled at James, and rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe you! Do you _like_ leading girls on? Do you think its fun?"

James mouthed wordlessly. Alright, maybe she was crazy too.

"What! I didn't lead you on...we were just...having fun!"

"Whatever," spat Laura, "I'll see you around."

Laura stalked off, leaving an utterly stunned James in her wake.

James turned slowly, and saw Lily, Bridget and Chris watching him with narrowed eyes.

"What did you do to her?" asked Lily frowning.

"I...I have no idea," said James, still shocked at what had happened.

"Well you must have done something," accused Lily, her voice rising slightly.

"Lily," warned Chris, having noticed something on the stairs.

"Hey guys, what's up?" asked Sirius, suddenly appearing in the hall. He waved to Theresa, who looked rather flushed, and hurried over to his friends.

"Lily calm down," said Bridget softly.

"Potter just completely used that girl," fumed Lily, "You couldn't even let her down gently, could you? Laura's liked you for ages!"

"I didn't know that!" cried James.

"Guy's," said Chris a little more firmly, her eyes still fixated on the staircase.

"What's all the shouting about?" asked Remus, who had just exited the Great Hall after having an early dinner.

"Evans...no...The entire female population has gone crazy!" shouted James, "What is up with you lot!"

"GUYS!"

"What?!" shouted Lily and James, turning to Chris. Chris pointed at a teary eyed, dark haired girl, clutching a letter in her hands.

"Holly...Holly what is it?!" asked Lily, horror ripping through her.

_God_, she thought, _please don't let this be an attack_.

Holly glanced down at the letter, and looked at James.

"Grandpa died."

~**~

Lily, Sirius, Chris, Bridget, Remus and Peter waited patiently in the common room a week later for James and Holly to return to Hogwarts. They had left almost immediately after Holly received the letter, and spent the last week with their family to attend the funeral. It had been an extremely sad occasion, but George Potter had been sick for a while now. Of course, James and Holly's parents hadn't told them, as they thought he would get better. Unfortunately, he didn't. He'd lived a long, fulfilling life though, a life that would be celebrated, not mourned.

The six friends jumped to their feet as four people climbed through the portrait hole. Jonny hugged his sister and cousin, then went with Olivia to sit quietly in the corner of the room.

James wrapped his arm around Holly and headed towards their friends.

"Hey," smiled James. The girls rushed forward to hug Holly, whilst the boys gathered around James.

"How you holding up?" asked Sirius.

James shrugged, "As well as can be expected...I...I'll really miss him...but he had a great life."

The girls released Holly, then she was enveloped in a hug by Sirius. James ignored the fact they embraced a little longer than usual, and accepted a hug from Chris.

"We're really sorry. If you need to talk or anything, I'm here," smiled Chris.

"Thanks," James nodded. He glanced at Lily, who tentatively reached out, and hugged him. The contact was brief, but it was enough to melt James' heart.

"My granddad died the year before I came here, just let me know if you need anything...to talk or anything."

James' heart swelled at the compassion and genuine sorrow in her eyes. _This is why I love her_, he thought. _She hates me, yet she's still willing to throw that aside to help me. This is why I love her_.

"Thanks....Lily."

"You're welcome...James."

~**~

After months of gathering notes and analysing various passages, the boys had finally pieced together a plan, of sorts, as to how to become Animagi. Though the books they had found in the Room of Requirement didn't give all out instructions as to how to achieve such a feat, the boy's combined intelligence was just enough to decipher the various hints and clues.

Meditation. That was the beginning. A focusing of your inner self, or so Remus had explained. To achieve the first step, the boys had come up with James, Sirius and Peter beginning with focusing on their best traits to determine their 'inner animal'. Simple, really.

After that, came a more magical side to the Transformations. Sirius, who had a keen eye for detail, had managed to locate several spells the boys would need, as well as a tricky looking potion to be taken at just the right moment before signs of their transformation began to show. From what they had read, the meditation, spell casting and potion making had to be done within a year; after that, it was up to the boys to continue focusing all of the power they held within themselves to complete the transformation.

"Right, now are you sure you want to start already? I mean, we can look over the notes some more if you like, or –"

"Remus, we want to start...the sooner the better," snapped Sirius. Remus looked slightly taken aback, and set his notes back onto the table, in the Room of Requirement.

"Sorry," apologised Sirius, "I saw Snape skulking after Reg the other day...I mean, for Merlin's sake my _brother_ hangs round with people like them..."

"Is that what this is about? You're worried about your brother?" asked James.

Sirius nodded, "I mean, ever since Crabbe and Grover were talking about that 'thing' they and Regulus were doing...I dunno...I'm just worried about him."

"We don't know if it's anything bad," reasoned Peter, "I mean, it could be a gobstones club or something."

"Yeah right Peter, don't be so naive," hissed James.

"No, like I mean maybe it's nothing, but they want you to think it's something," continued Peter, looking slightly hurt.

"Pete's right, it could be nothing," said Remus.

"Or it could be something," muttered Sirius darkly. The four boys fell silent, not sure what to say next.

"Hey, we came here to break laws, now let's get on with it," joked James. Sirius seemed to brighten a little, and stood up next to James. Remus pulled out his notes and began scanning the page.

"Alright, you need to clear your mind....and focus on what you think is your best trait."

James, Sirius and Peter nodded, and closed their eyes.

James wracked his brains for what he thought was his best trait.

_My excellence at Quidditch? No, I don't want to turn into a bird or anything. My brilliance at almost everything he did? Whoa, I am pretty big headed. Although I am proud, I mean, who wouldn't be? Proud of who I am. Yes, I'm proud. _

Sirius was bored. Nothing was happening. True, he wasn't really focusing, but he was Sirius Black, he could do anything!

_And I would do anything, for Remus, for all of my friends. Hmmm.....loyalty could be my best trait I guess...that and my good looks. _

Peter fidgeted nervously. He couldn't do this; he didn't have any best traits. He wasn't exactly the best in the year, but he wasn't the worst. He just liked to stay in the background and hide behind the rest of the Marauders. _Just stay quiet, and keep out of trouble. I'm good at that, keeping quiet. Well...quiet, that could be it. And nervous...I am really nervous._

"Anything changed?" asked James, his eyes still squeezed shut.

"No, sorry," said Remus. James sighed, and repositioned himself, ready to give it another go.

After several hours of focusing and clearing their minds, the Marauders decided to call it a night early, and resume their nightly explorations of the castle. They piled back under the invisibility cloak and stepped out into the deserted corridor.

"We'll get it soon, I swear I felt the strange urge to start walking on all fours," whispered Sirius. James stuffed his fist into his mouth to stop from laughing, and led his friends down the stone corridor.

~**~

"Peter, you have to be the clumsiest person I've ever met!"

"Yeah! Well my clumsiness found us that passage in first year."

"Alright Pete, calm it!"

"Sorry."

The Marauders wandered aimlessly around the school, as was usual on a Friday night. They'd spent most of the evening researching Animagi, but after realising they were getting nowhere, decided to call it an early night. It wasn't too late, but late enough to get into trouble of the boys were caught.

"How many have we found so far?" asked Remus.

Sirius pulled out a slip of paper and scanned it for a moment, "Five passages out of the school and too many secret doors and trick steps to count."

"How many more do you think there are?" asked Peter.

James shrugged, "No idea, but –" he stopped. There he was again. This was the third time this week.

"He's following us....I know it," hissed Sirius.

"How can he be, we always put the cloak on _before_ we leave the common room," whispered James.

"Sirius, look, theres Regulus!"

Sirius stiffened as he watched his brother approach Snape. The boys moved closer to get a better view.

"There you are, I've been waiting ages," snapped Snape.

Regulus scowled, "A prefect held me up, stupid Hufflepuff."

James glanced at Sirius, whose face had completely fallen. He placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it a little.

"What did you want anyway?" continued Regulus.

"Your brother...him and his little friends are up to something. I saw them leaving their common room a few months ago really late, and since then I've been watching them...well...I've haven't actually seen them, but I know they've been out late."

Regulus shrugged, "So. Maybe they're just exploring, loads of kids do it."

"At three in the morning?"

Regulus frowned, "How come you haven't been caught?"

Snape smirked, "I have my ways. Another thing, you know Lupin, right?"

Remus inhaled sharply.

"Yeah, he's a nice guy...little nerdy though," admitted Regulus. Sirius shot his friend an apologetic look.

"Have you noticed he's been disappearing a lot lately? I think it's been going on since he got here."

Regulus chuckled, "Oh, I know about that. I noticed too. Sirius said his mum's sick."

Snape snorted, "Yeah right. Those four are up to something, and I intend to find out what it is."

"Why are you so obsessed with them?" frowned Regulus, "They're all you ever talk about...them and Lily."

"Shut up," hissed Snape, "Listen, I want you to try and find some stuff out. Your brothers a fool, he thinks he can trust you."

"He can trust me!" defended Regulus, "I'd never betray him."

"What about that little club you joined with Grover? Do you even know what that is?"

"We practice curses," shrugged Regulus, "Just self defence."

Snape cackled, "It's not self defence idiot, I've been to those meetings."

Regulus looked down, "So what, all my friends are in it, and my mum and dad think it's a brilliant idea, they even want me to invite Sirius to join."

"He won't, he's too loyal to his precious boyfriend Potter."

Sirius' frown had been growing deeper and deeper since the two Slytherins had begun talking. This was the last straw. He lifted his wand and whispered something. Suddenly, Snape felt himself being blasted against a wall. James grabbed Sirius' wand arm and shook his head. He slowly led the four boys towards Snape, who was sprawled on the floor.

"What was that!" cried Regulus, looking wildly around. Snape struggled to his feet, his wand held out before him. He cried out as he felt his robes being pulled up and over his head. Something shoved him, and he crashed into a nearby stone bust. Regulus burst out laughing, clutching his sides. Underneath the invisibility cloak, James and friends were wracked with silent giggles. Snape clambered to his feet, and grabbed Regulus' arm.

The two ran, and the four boys began laughing out loud.

"James...that was brilliant!" cried Sirius. Remus and Peter nodded their agreement, still laughing too hard to speak. James shrugged, and grinned.

"Come on, let's get back."

~**~

The next morning, Sirius was still refusing to talk about what he had heard Regulus and Snape talk about the night before, although he had taken to throwing a few things around the room to vent his anger. On their way to Charms, the boys spotted Regulus and his friends loitering near the Transfiguration classroom.

"You three go ahead, I need to talk to him," said Sirius. James bit his lip, quite reluctant to leave Sirius in a situation like this.

"Are you sure, cause we'll stay if you want."

Sirius shook his head, his eyes fixated on his brother, "No, I'm fine, just tell Flitwick I forgot my book."

James nodded, and left with the others. Sirius took a deep breath, and started towards Regulus.

"Hi, Reg."

Regulus looked up from his friends, and grinned, "Sirius! How are you?"

"I'm good," replied Sirius absently. He was watching Regulus' friends closely, noting the wary looks they were giving him.

"Do you mind if I borrow my brother," he asked through gritted teeth.

Crabbe, one of Reg's friends, scowled, "What do you say Reg?"

Regulus nodded, "I'll see you in Potions," he turned to his brother, "Come on."

Sirius and Regulus left the Slytherin second years, and walked to a small alcove.

"What did you wanna talk about?"

Sirius clasped his hands in front of him, "Well...uhhh...I just wanted to know how you're doing."

Regulus shrugged, "Fine. Professor Slughorn said I have your talent at Potions," he added with a grin.

Sirius nodded, "That's great Reg, but...well, I really meant, how're you settling in with the Slytherins, I know last year you were hanging around with Narcissa alot, and I was just wondering how you're doing since she left."

Regulus smiled, "I'm fine, really. I've made loads of new friends, I figured I should try and meet as many new people as possible."

Sirius sighed, "I'm worried about you Reg, about the people you hang around with."

Regulus frowned, "There's nothing wrong with them, they're really friendly!"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "To pure-blood's, maybe. You do realise most of the people you're hanging around with are following that idiot Voldemort."

Regulus flinched at the mention of the name, "Sirius! You can't say his name!"

Sirius snorted, "I'm not afraid of a name, and I'm not afraid of him. You're getting in with the wrong crowd; don't turn into our parents Reg!"

When angry, the two Black brothers looked almost identical. Their eyes darkened, the haughty good looks possessed by the Black's making them look quite formidable indeed.

"And what's so bad about that! Our parents are happy! They have everything they want!" cried Regulus.

"Our parents hate each other; their lives are ruled by hatred! They'll never be happy because nothing will be good enough for them!" shouted Sirius.

Regulus flinched a little, his brother seeming to tower over him.

"Sirius, you're worrying for nothing. It's my life, you can't tell me what to do!"

Sirius closed his eyes, his brow furrowing, "Reg...What's this about a club you've joined?" he asked slowly. He couldn't hold it in anymore, he needed to know.

Regulus blinked...how did he...?

"How...it's a Charms club...a few of us get together to practice Charms," he exhaled slowly, "Not all of us are naturally smart, Sirius."

Sirius felt his chest tighten. Regulus didn't trust him anymore...he was slipping away.

"Right...well...just think about what I've said," he glanced back at his brother as he turned to walk away, "You know I love you Reg, I just don't want to see anything happen to you."

Sirius walked off, and disappeared around a corner. Regulus stared at the spot where he had stood, chewing his lip nervously. What if Sirius was right?

He shook his head. No, his parents knew what was best, and they were happy about the club he'd joined, about the friends he'd made. Sirius was only saying this to get at their parents; he'd always been like that. Regulus shook his head again, and stalked off to potions. Sirius was wrong...he was right.

~**~

"Ahh, Mr Black, so nice of you to join us," said Professor Flitwick with a frown, "Take your seat, Mr Potter will explain what we are doing, and that'll be five points from Gryffindor for being late."

Sirius dropped his bag beside his chair and sat down, determinedly avoiding the curious stares of his classmates.

"How'd it go?" asked James, putting down his wand.

Sirius shrugged, "As good as can be expected. Listen, I really don't want to even think about it. The kid's an idiot, I'm sick of looking after him."

James nodded slowly, "You sure mate? Bottling it all up will just make it –"

"I said I don't want to talk about it," snapped Sirius.

James sighed, and turned back to his work. For all Sirius was his best friend, it still hurt him a little that he wouldn't open up, and at least talk about it a little.

"We're practicing the Locomotor charm, if you're in the mood to do some work," he said finally.

"When am I ever in the mood," said Sirius with a hint of a smile. James chuckled.

"Fair point. How about we go down to the Quidditch pitch after dinner and vent some of your anger out on the bludgers."

"Can we paint the Slytherin crest on them," said Sirius darkly, "Or better yet, Snivellus' face?"

James laughed, earning a stern glare from Professor Flitwick, "Whatever you want mate, just as long as you pull yourself out of this mood. I swear, you're worse than a girl."

Sirius snorted, and punched James in the arm, "You really are a prat Potter, it's no wonder Lily won't go out with you."

"Harsh," said James in mock offence, "Evans will come around, just you watch."

Sirius barked a laugh, and shook his head, "And in the meantime, why don't you try out some other girls?"

James sighed, "After Laura, I'm sort of put off. That girl was bloody mental!"

Sirius chuckled, "She was just a tad, mind you, Theresa wasn't much better."

"Dumped her?" asked James, waving his wand.

Sirius nodded, "Yeah, I can't be tied to one girl James, you know that."

"I feel like this is my fault," sniggered James, "I _was_ the one who told you to star dating girls to get away from Holly."

Sirius laughed, and patted James on the back, "Remember that next time you have a go at me for finishing a girl."

~**~

Lily, Holly, Bridget and Chris wandered down to the Great Hall that evening chatting about the upcoming holidays and what they'd be doing for it. Holly seemed to be doing alot better than in the previous weeks, and was slowly returning to her normal, sarcastic self. But the biggest topic of the moment was the fact that Lily and James had actually spoken to each other, _without_ raised voices.

"This _is_ big Lils, you've hated him since first year, and now look at the two of you!" said Chris jovially.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Hate's a strong word Chris, I just severely disliked him."

"And now?" asked Holly.

Lily shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, when I saw what he was like with you after...well...you know," she glanced at Holly, who nodded.

"We know...so, is that why?"

Lily shook her head, "I don't know. Partly, but he seems to have really calmed down lately. I haven't seen him pull a prank, or hex anybody. _And_ he hasn't asked me out, can you believe it!"

Bridget chuckled, "I never thought the day would come."

"Maybe he finally got the message," mused Chris, "I mean, you did make it pretty obvious you weren't going to go out with him, despite our protests."

Lily raised an eyebrow, "You still think we'd make a good couple, don't you."

Chris nodded, "I have it all planned out."

"You're kidding," snorted Holly.

"I don't think she is," laughed Bridget.

Chris grinned, "I'm really not. Lily and James are going to fall in love by the end of Hogwarts, mark my words."

"And the rest of us?" asked Holly with interest.

Chris looked as though she was pondering this for a moment, "Bridget will fall for some Spanish wizard she meet's on holiday."

"It's possible," chuckled Bridget, "I might as well live there."

"And Holly will tame Hogwarts resident bachelor," continued Chris with a smirk.

"He wishes," Holly rolled her eyes with a hint of a smile.

"And you?" asked Lily.

"Me? Well, I'll become Minister for Magic and marry that new chaser for the Tornados....Jeremy Burke I think he's called."

Lily snorted, "You know he's ten years older than you."

Chris shrugged, "If he's still good looking, there won't be a problem now, will there?"

"You're crazy," snorted Holly as the girls took their seats in the hall.

"And you're too sceptical about life, how do you know none of that will come true?"

Holly shrugged, "Maybe because Lily has no attraction to James whatsoever, because Sirius will never realise that to be in a relationship means lasting longer than a week, because it will be a sad day for Britain when Christina Coddlesworth is named Minister for Magic?"

Chris frowned, "Oh ye of little faith, just you wait Holly, I'll prove you wrong...in fact," she glanced around, " I bet you that by the end of Hogwarts, you will be dating Sirius 'The Ladies Man' Black, and dear Lily will be head over heels in love with James."

Holly paused for a moment, then held out her hand, "You're on Coddlesworth, now what are the terms?"

"Whoever loses must," she glanced around the hall, her eyes resting on the boys, who were deep in discussion about something, "Snog Peter Pettigrew for a full minute."

Holly's mouth fell open, "No way, I refuse!"

Chris chuckled, "Then you admit I'm right?"

Holly's eyes narrowed, "Never, you're on," she shook Chris' hand, then turned to her dinner.

"This will certainly be interesting," Bridget whispered to Lily.

"Thank God I don't like James," giggled Lily.

* * *

_Well, any good? Let me know, as always :D_

_p.s: I have no idea how to become an Animagi...this is just my guess :)_

_p.p.s: To any Americans reading, Congratulations :D I watched President Obama's inauguration today, and it's the first one I've ever watched. He is very inspiring, you must all be very proud :D_

_Grace ~_


	21. The Haughty and Most Aged House of Black

_A/N: Chapter twenty one, for your enjoyment *bows*_

_review responses:_

_**genjutsumaster:** Thank you :D I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, I reckon Sirius and Reg were probably close at one point, he must've been devastated when he joined the Death Eaters. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter._

_p.s: do your homework!!! XD_

_**MissCanada:** __Malheureusement oui :( __Puisque c'est le...canon..., j'ai peur elle mourra, bien que je ne dise pas quand ;) __Votre anglais est bon, vraiment, bien que je sois sûr que l'on ne peut pas dire le même pour mon français, mais j'ai cru que je ferais l'effort, depuis que vous avez fait l'effort pour répondre dans l'anglais et je parle un français :) __Merci pour la lecture et j'espère que vous aimez le chapitre suivant :D_

_**Fairywolf:** Thank you :D I love that saying too, I've used it on many occasion haha! And another idea to go in the file XD thank you very much for the suggestions, they're really brilliant! lovely little plot lines, I'll probably use them all haha! Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**2Lazy2SignIn:** Thank you very much :) I know, but unfortunately, Harry has no Potter family left by 1981, so they all have to go at some point :( Regulus is far too naive, and things will only go downhill, I'm afraid :( I'm pretty sure Obama will do great things for the entire world! You guys are so lucky! We get Gordon Brown :|_

_**evershort:** Awww, hope you feel better. You'll have two chapters to read now :D and no problem for the comment, I just wish our elections were as passionate and thought through as America's! Ahh, for the days of Churchill...now there was a Prime Minister I could be proud of! Hope you enjoy the chapter(s) :D_

_**BloodMoonRising:** Thank you :D Oh yes, I really enjoyed it! At least now I can say I was watching when history was made! Something to tell the grandkids, eh? He'll do a fantastic job! (Though I must admit a part of me will miss Bush, some of the things he came out with were downright hilarious!)Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy this chapter too :)_

_**MissWendyBird:** Thank you :D Yes, it is frustrating, especially since we all know where they're going to end up! Though I suppose that makes it even sweeter :) I'm glad you liked those parts too, I try to add as much humour in as I can...it's great you found it funny XD Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, once again, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the next chapter!_

_**Queen Of Hearts:** Thank you, I'm glad you liked it :) Lily should suffer...and she will *grins evilly*. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter too :)_

_**splatteredpaint:** I know! I watched a few of his campaign speeches on t.v, and my mam absolutely adores him! (I think she fancies him abit, actually haha) Yes, Chris would be a terrible MfM, she'd have every good looking man as her slave! She could very well be part seer...or at least extremely lucky at guessing haha! Oh, thank you, I missed those mistakes! Terribly sorry, I'll go back and correct them once I've posted this chapter :) I know, it's inevitable for Reg, but I'm very excited to write about his return to the light side (star wars ftw!) Oh, I didn't know that...I could use that...yes, thank you!!! Oh, exams are terrible, my mind goes blank when I go through them (well, went...I never have to suffer again! Mwahahaha) Wow, thank you! But you don't have to, the story will always be here for you :) Good luck with your science exam, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you :D Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :D_

_**VampireWithGoldenEyes:** Thank you :) It's hard to work out a plausible way for them to do it, but I've written out a set of instructions for my version :) I'm sorry we don't see much of Christina, or any of the girls for that matter, but we will see alot more soon, and I promise Chris will be just as involved! Oh, I hate ipod's...I could never work out how to put music onto them (I've heard it's simple, but I'm terrible with technology!) Hope you find it soon :) thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy this chapter too :)_

_**Bookworm315: **I just caught you! I was about to post, then I noticed I'd just recieved one more review! Timing, eh? Thank you very much :D I'm going purely off my own thoughts and ideas for this part, so hopefully it will work out. Yes, I've heard some of his policies, and I can relate. Gordon Brown is doing the same to us right at this moment! Haha, thats a good comparison, I like that :D Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_Disclaimer: As I have said many times, I don't own HP...I'm not J.K Rowling...I'm not a publisher at Bloomsbury...I'm just am average english girl passing the days by feeding my overactive imagination with fan fiction :)_

_Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the show..._

_

* * *

_

**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

**_Chapter Twenty One_**

**_The Haughty and Most Aged House of Black_**

The last Hogsmeade visit before Christmas dawned bright and chilly. A thin layer of frost covered the grounds of Hogwarts, making it sparkle merrily as the sun caught it. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had decided to go together, much to Sirius' protests that he wanted Hogsmeade weekends to be date weekends. Unfortunately for him, the other three had pointed out that Sirius was the only one anywhere near capable of wooing a girl, and that they were simply terrible when it came to the fairer sex.

Lily and the girls too had decided to go alone, far too interested in having fun than worrying about dates. They spotted the boys in the entrance hall, and three of the four giggled.

"Look at Georgia and Jenny, still obsessed as ever," laughed Chris. Lily looked over and spotted Georgia, Jenny, and several girls they knew to be Hufflepuffs whispering and shooting appreciative glances over to James and Sirius.

Lily rolled her eyes, "I still don't get why girls are obsessed with the pair of them, surely they've noticed Sirius only goes after girls for a bit of snogging, and as for Potter..." she trailed off, frowning a little.

Bridget watched the boys for a moment, then shrugged, "Probably. But it's that whole bad boy thing, isn't it? Nobody wants the safe option."

"Since when were you an expert on relationships?" chuckled Holly.

Bridget smiled sheepishly, "My mum's a psychologist, sometimes I read her books."

"Hey girls! Over here!"

Bridget and Chris giggled, and immediately hurried over to the boys. Holly watched Lily for a moment.

"Come on, you're sort of friends with him, that means we're allowed to talk to them now," laughed Holly. Lily pulled a face, and wandered over to the boys a little reluctantly. She wasn't used to actually speaking to the boys, especially James.

"Care to allow we humble Gryffindors to escort you to Hogsmeade?" asked Sirius dramatically.

"But of course, good sir," giggled Chris, taking his offered arm. James glanced at Lily, but decided to walk with Bridget instead, not wanting to scare her off.

"Lily, you go ahead with Remus, I want to talk to Peter," started Holly, waving her hands to shoo the pair away. Lily titled her head quizzically for a moment, then smiled at Remus, and began walking with him. Holly smiled to herself.

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Peter, who was flushing profusely. He never was any good with girls.

"Oh? Oh, nothing. I just figured if we're all going to spend Hogsmeade together, it'd be best placing Lily with the boy who's least likely to anger her."

Peter chuckled, "Good point."

There was an awkward silence for several minutes, until the two realised their six other friends had left.

"Come on Peter, you can show me Hogsmeade as a Marauder sees it," said Holly with a smile. Peter flushed again, but felt a lot more comfortable. Really, talking to Holly was just like talking to James, he thought.

~**~

"Go on Sirius, I dare you."

Sirius eyed the cockroach cluster with slight reluctance, "How much would you give me?"

Chris dug around in her pockets and pulled out a handful of coins, "Five Galleons and three Sickles."

Sirius snorted, "No way!"

"Alright, six Galleons...and I'll do that essay Binns gave us on Tuesday."

"Done," Sirius snatched the small peanut shaped sweet from Chris. Over by the ice mice, Lily and Remus were watching their friends with slight smiles.

"Have we ever all been together like this?" asked Lily.

Remus shook his head, "I don't think so, James always managed to annoy you in some way."

Lily smiled guiltily, "I had good reason, he can be so insufferable".

Remus chuckled, and waved his hand, "I know, I know. So, what changed?"

Lily paused for a moment. Yes, she may have a been a friend of sorts to Remus; however she wasn't quite close enough to him to begin revealing any secrets.

"I don't know. I suppose he hasn't been _as_ bad as usual," she laughed as she saw Sirius begin to choke on his Cockroach Cluster.

"Having fun?"

Remus and Lily turned to see James and a smiling Bridget walking towards them.

"When do we Marauders not have fun?" grinned Remus, "You?"

"Course, Bridget here is a hoot!"

"A hoot?" snorted Bridget, "You have a strange vocabulary James."

James shrugged, "What about you Lily? Is Remus here treating you well?"

Lily nodded, surprising herself when she realised she didn't actually know _how_ to talk to James, in all honesty, she'd only ever shouted of him.

"Good. Hey, where's Pete and Holly?"

"Mr Flume asked for a few volunteers to try out some new sweets, they're over there," Remus pointed to where Peter had strangely turned purple, causing Holly to be doubled over with laughter. James shook his head, and chuckled, "Poor Pete, he'll do anything to impress people."

~**~

After wandering around the village for a little while, the girls informed the boys they were now going to buy Christmas presents, and left them at the Three Broomsticks. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, all of whom were in good spirits, entered the pub, greeting various acquaintances jovially as they stepped up to the bar.

"Tis the season to be jolly indeed," laughed Madam Rosmerta as she handed the boys a butterbeer each, "What's got you lot in such a cheery mood?"

"Life, dear Rosmerta," grinned James, "It is Christmas after all."

"Lily is his 'sort of' friend," explained Sirius, "He's been like this all afternoon."

Madam Rosmerta nodded in understanding, "Lily Evans? Oh yes, she's the girl James has liked since first year."

"You told her?!"cried James. Sirius laughed.

"Come on James, it's only Rosie, she's not going to say anything."

Madam Rosmerta laughed, "Of course I won't James, now be off with you! I have customers."

James smiled warmly, "Okay, okay, we're leaving. Oh, Happy Christmas too."

The other three boys chorused a happy Christmas, then wound their way through the crowded bar to their usual table near the back.

"So, are you all looking forward to Christmas?"

"Yeah, I always have a nice Christmas," smiled Remus.

Peter shrugged, "As long as my dad's out, I'll be happy," he said darkly. James patted him on the back, "Do you know where he's been going?"

Peter glanced fearfully at his friends. Should he confess his suspicions? What would they think? Would they hate him for it? They hadn't shunned Sirius, but he was Sirius Black! Far more popular and cooler than Peter.

"I think...I think he's supporting You-Know-Who."

James almost dropped his butterbeer, and gaped incredulously at Peter.

"You mean...he's a De –"

"No!" cried Peter, "No, no I don't think he's that far in. I think he's more like Sirius' parents. You know, all for You-Know-Who's regime."

Remus nodded, "No offence Pete, but from the things you've told us, that sort of makes sense".

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" asked Sirius with a frown.

Peter bit his lip, and shrugged, "I guess...I guess I was afraid you'd...well...that you wouldn't..."

"Want to hang around with you?" finished James, "Peter, if that was the case; we'd have hexed Sirius a long time ago."

"It's true," grinned Sirius, "I'm a perfect example. You shouldn't be so insecure Pete, we are friends you know. Generally, we stick by each other."

James laughed, and Peter turned beet red.

"Sorry, I should have said something sooner."

"Frankly," started James, "I'm offended you thought we'd get rid of you just for something as trivial as a crazy parent."

Peter smiled weakly. Crazy? His dad wasn't crazy, was he?

"Can we stop talking about this, I have problems too you know," whined Sirius. James rolled his eyes.

"Alright Sirius, tell Uncle James what's wrong."

Sirius punched him in the arm, "I was talking to Andromeda the other day...she's...well, she's engaged to Ted."

"Really? Mate that's brilliant!" James clapped Sirius on the back.

"Wait, isn't Ted a Muggle born?" said Remus quietly.

Sirius nodded, "Exactly."

"Oh," said James slowly, "I take it your family doesn't know yet then."

Sirius nodded, "She's going to tell them at Christmas, so it should be fun," he muttered darkly.

~**~

Christmas was rather subdued for the Potters. The absences of James and Holly's grandfather was a sad affair, however in true Potter style, the family at least tried to enjoy Christmas, George Potter would never have wanted to spoil such a wonderful time.

Holly lay on her stomach in the Potter living room, flicking through the Christmas edition of the Prophet for any news on what was going on in the Wizarding World. There hadn't been many attacks since she'd come back to school, something that was of great relief (to some). Beside her, James was tending to his broomstick with the servicing kit he had gotten last year, his face the picture of focus. On her right, Jonny and Olivia were sitting on one of the fat, squashy armchairs, reading a wedding magazine, and on the large sofa behind her, Mr Potter, Mrs Potter, Mr Knight and Mrs Knight were chatting about this and that, including the recent goings on in the Wizengamot.

"...well, I must say that few of us are happy about this. Griselda was just saying this morning that if they allow this to go ahead, our Aurors are going to be just as bad as _them_," Mrs Knight was saying, taking a sip of wine, "Barty's a fine fellow and all, but the man is pushing too hard and too far."

"Alastor is against the whole thing," Mr Potter replied, looking far more tired than usual, "And so am I. There are other ways to defend ourselves...resorting to Unforgivables...I don't think I could do it."

Mrs Knight nodded solemnly, the similarities between her and her older brother showing clearly as they spoke, "I'm afraid many in the Wizengamot think it's quite an idea. I overheard Minister Bagnold talking with that awful Umbridge woman, they both seemed quite keen."

"Dolores Umbridge is a nasty piece of work," Mrs Potter piped up, eliciting chuckles from Holly and James. Mrs Potter could get into quite a rant about that woman, when need be, "Remember, Harold, when she came to the New Year's party? I still haven't got the stain out of the drawing room carpet!"

"To be fair, Aunt Gwen," Holly turned to face the adults, "She wouldn't have thrown up if James hadn't of filled that cake with Cockroach clusters."

"Holly! It was both of us mum, I swear," James shot his cousin an annoyed look, to which she merely shrugged.

"That and the bottle of firewhisky she guzzled beforehand," muttered Jonny absently, causing the entire room to burst into laughter – the first laughter heard in the Potter household since their Grandfathers death.

"Well, I think I'm going to call it a night," Mr Knight yawned, stretching his arms high above his head, "The head of CID wants us in bright and early tomorrow, all your bloody wizard attacks have thrown us into turmoil!"

Jonny looked up from his magazine, and snorted, "Don't even lie, you love knowing what's really going on while your mates haven't got a clue."

Mr Knight clipped his son around the ear, barely containing a smile, "I think no such thing. Goodnight Potters, Holly," he bent to kiss his daughter, who merely grunted in response, engrossed in her magazine, "Olivia, Jonny-kins," Mr Knight tore out of the room, his son closely following, brandishing a rolled up wedding magazine.

"My husband, ladies and gentlemen," Mrs Knight sighed, the laughter from the occupants of the room punctuated by a loud, "DAD! GIVE ME MY WAND BACK!"

~**~

Lily's Christmas weren't getting any worse, but they weren't getting any better either. Petunia was still as distant and cold as usual; however her parents ensured she had an enjoyable Christmas by keeping the two apart when things got rather nasty. Lily missed her sister terribly, but Holly, Chris and Bridget were like her sisters anyway, so she wasn't entirely alone. Holly had even asked her father to install a telephone so she and Lily could keep in touch, which cheered Lily up more than Holly knew.

Lily wrapped her squashy duvet tighter around her shoulders, the fire in her living room roaring loudly and casting a pleasant glow around the room. Mr and Mrs Evans were currently engrossed watching _It's a Wonderful Life_, a regular at Christmas. Sitting on the same sofa, though with as large a gap as said sofa allowed, Petunia Evans finished her cross stitch triumphantly, a wide grin spreading across her face.

"Finished. Mum, look," she stood up, and handed her mother the undeniably beautiful cross stitch.

"It's lovely, Petunia. Look Lily, isn't it pretty?" Mrs Evans said, attempting t at least get her daughters talking. They hadn't exchanged many pleasant words since Lily got her letter.

Petunia wrinkled her nose, and snatched the cross stitch back from her mother.

"Never mind, she'll probably ruin it with some of that hocus pocus."

Lily narrowed her eyes, grinding her teeth so loudly she was sure she was going to chip a tooth.

"Petunia! That's enough. I'll have no more of this teasing, Lily has a wonderful gift, you should be proud of your sister," Mr Evans reprimanded sternly.

"_Proud_?" Petunia snorted, "Of being a freak? I don't think so."

"Petunia! Go to your room!"

The older Evans glared at Lily as she passed, stomping her feet and tossing her cross stitch to the ground in her temper. Lily matched her glare, in no mood to even attempt to smooth things over. She wasn't a freak...not at all! She wouldn't let the words wound her...even though they still did.

Lily was just about to hurry upstairs to maybe have a little cry, when the telephone began to ring. Glancing at her parents, who seemed not to notice, Lily sighed, and went to answer it.

"Hello, Lily Evans speaking," she droned.

"_Hey Lils, how's our favourite red head?"_ sounded a rather jovial voice.

"Holly?" Lily's face broke into a wide grin, "Perfect timing!"

"_Petunia being an arse again? You know, I think James has some Dungbombs left, if you want to put them to good use?"_

Lily chuckled, shaking her head, "No, but thanks for the gesture. How are you phoning, I thought you were at James'?"

"_I am. Uncle Harold loved our telephone so much he got one installed here. Apparently James caused quite a fuss at the Pizza shop, kept asking if they flooed when they delivered or apparated...idiot. Anyway, how're you holding up?"_

"Same old," Lily sighed, "What about you? Has James driven you mad yet?"

Holly chuckled, _"Awww Lils, he doesn't drive me mad. I love my dear Jamsie – speaking of the devil himself, he wants to speak to you. Don't worry, I've explained to him how to use a telephone,"_ before Lily could protest, she could distinctly hear the phone being passed to James.

"_Lily? Are you there? Happy Christmas!"_

Lily exhaled rather loudly, and answered, "Happy Christmas, Potter."

"_Awww Lily, first names on Christmas please. Tis the season to be jolly, after all."_

Lily could hear Holly sniggering in the background, and reminded herself to hex her so called best mate once they got back to Hogwarts.

"Please, Potter. Tell you what, quit the ego, and I'll consider it."

"_But the ego is who I am. Sirius said so!"_

"Sirius would," Lily muttered, "I'm awfully tired Potter, please tell Holly goodnight, and wish your family a Happy Christmas from me," and with that, Lily Evans ended the first telephone conversation between herself and James Potter. Of course, James practically floated for the rest of the evening.

~**~

Chris, of course, had a hectic Christmas, although this year it was held at her aunts, so she was given a little break (it was her mother who made her help out, her aunt Maggie was more than happy to give her niece a rest). However, this Christmas there was cause for even more celebration; Chris' younger cousin Jake had performed his first bit of magic. Chris was thrilled!

"Look at him! Look!"

Christina waved her hands wildly towards her little cousin Jake, who was currently a bright shade of purple.

"Somebody fetch a camera!" called Mrs Coddlesworth, "Maggie! Maggie get here quick!"

A short woman, with a mass of blonde hair and moss green eyes flew into the room, her eyes widening further at the sight before her.

"GREG! GREG! HE'S DONE IT! HE'S PURPLE! JAKE'S PURPLE!"

"What the ruddy hell – crikey! Maggie, would you look at that?!"

Mr Harper (Chris' uncle), kneeled down before his son, inspecting the young boy closely.

"Yup! That's a colour change charm alright, and a ruddy strong one at that!" he straightened up, "Where's the camera, quick!"

Chris, who had darted out of the room to fetch her camera, pushed through the crowd of Coddlesworths', snapping as many photographs as possible.

"Look! Look, now he's red! Oh Jakey, who's a clever boy," Judith Barns (an aunt) cooed, "I haven't seen anything like this since Christina attacked us with the toy bricks!"

Christina grinned at her aunt, snapping another photograph of her cousin.

"All we need now is Laura to show something, and the twins are set!" she cried excitedly. All eyes slid to the blonde toddler sitting quietly next to her brother, eyeing him with great interest. She prodded him with a small, chubby finger, and promptly turned him orange!

The Coddlesworth clan erupted into cheers and applause, the two youngsters not having the foggiest idea why they were so happy, merely enjoying the nice little colour game they were currently playing.

~**~

Remus had a quiet Christmas. The full moon was on the 27th, so he was a little peaky on Christmas day, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. The small family had a sumptuous dinner, and then went ice skating in the park near their home, and had a truly wonderful evening.

"Dad! Dad, watch!"

Remus waited until his father had turned, then promptly showed off his knew trick, spinning right on the spot, in the middle of the ice. Of course, the only reason he could do it was because of the skills he had inherited the fated night of his meeting with Greyback.

Mr Lupin knew this, of course, but would never discourage his son in anyway, and applauded loudly for his son.

"Well done Remus, I bet your friends can't do that, eh?"

"They'd certainly try," Remus chuckled, thinking of his fellow Marauders fondly. Remus always had a lot to say about his friends, he told his parents everything they got up to (save the Animagi), desperate to show it was safe and okay for him to have friends.

At first, Mr and Mrs Lupin had been wary of Remus getting too close to these boys, however, after hearing Remus gushing about them so often and with such affection, and noticing the way his eyes lit up at the mere mention of their names, the two Lupins now knew that these friends were doing more good than bad for Remus.

After all, that was all that matter. So long as Remus was happy.

"Dad! Hey dad!"

Mr Lupin snapped out of his reverie, and looked up to see his son now skating backwards, warm brown eyes alight with laughter. Mr Lupin shook his head, and grabbed his wife's hand.

"Come on Jemima. Are we really going to let him show us up?"

Who said werewolves weren't normal, eh?

~**~

Peter, once again, spent the day with just his mother. His father was out again, he said he was working late but Peter was starting to worry. It was no secret his father was all for the 'purification' of the wizard race, and whilst he knew his father was nowhere near talented enough to be one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, there was still plenty he could do. However, confiding in James and the others had helped alot. He didn't feel as alone as he had before, thankfully.

He glanced out at the darkening sky, idly wondering what his friends were up to. No doubt they were having the time of their lives (well, maybe not Sirius), but certainly James and Remus. He wished he could visit his friends more often, but in all honesty, Peter didn't like to leave his mother alone with his father.

Peter looked around to see his mother quietly reading in a corner. He bit his lip, and carefully asked something that had been praying on his mind for weeks.

"Mum? Is dad a Death Eater?"

Mrs Pettigrew squeaked, and dropped her book in surprise. She gazed incredulously at her son, jaw hanging agape.

"Peter! What in the name of Merlin made you ask something so silly?"

Peter shrugged, "He believes You-Know-Who," he looked fearfully at his mother, "How can he, mum? How can he think something like that is okay?"

Mrs Pettigrew studied her son for a moment, and Peter saw a flicker of something unnameable in her eyes. She then sighed, and slowly closed her book.

"We are free to choose what we believe, Peter. Good or bad, wrong or right...it is our choice. Your father believes what he feels is right...I'm afraid that is all I can say."

Well he was wrong. Peter would never condone such a thing. Never.

~**~

Bridget had an enjoyable Christmas, as always. Ireland was such a beautiful time during the winter months, and she thoroughly enjoyed visiting various family members and going to see the annual nativity play. To most, Bridget had a simply perfect life; parents who loved her, and a wonderful little community. In the darkness that was slowly but surely approaching, Bridget felt more and more that the small moments like right now mattered most, and that the people around her made her see the silver lining in even the darkest clouds.

The town square was alight with hundreds of twinkling Christmas lights, snow falling gently onto the frost covered ground below. Wrapped in a scarlet and gold scarf, matching hat and gloves, Bridget grinned as she watched the Muggle children from her old primary school act out the nativity scene.

"This never get's old," Bridget whispered to her mother, who was standing to her left, "It's the same every year, but it _never_ gets old."

Mrs Moore smiled warmly at her only child, "That's the beauty of tradition, Bridget. You never get bored of it."

Bridget nodded, and grinned, turning back to the play.

_I'll have to bring the girls here next year_, she promised herself.

~**~

Yet the most interesting Christmas of all, belonged to one Sirius Black. Sirius glanced around the large dining table, clearly bored out of his mind. To his right, Andromeda fidgeted nervously in her seat, her Christmas dinner untouched.

"Dromeda, you alright?" whispered Sirius.

Andromeda nodded slightly, glancing at her parents who were talking with Sirius' mother and father. Opposite them, were Bellatrix and Regulus, who were talking loudly about (none other than) Voldemort.

"I mean, I honestly think more people should be joining his cause," said Bella, "His regime is the kind we've been waiting for!"

Sirius rolled his eyes, and watched Regulus look down at his plate. On Sirius' left, Narcissa sat, determinedly avoiding looking at her cousin, and clearly not happy about the seating arrangement.

"Perhaps Sirius being in Gryffindor could be of some use," said Druella, the Black sister's mother, "The Dark Lord could use as many spies as possible."

"He won't turn against his little blood-traitor friends," spat Bella, "He's too in love with Potter."

Sirius felt his anger bubbling up, but needed to remain calm. It looked as though Andromeda was about to drop her bombshell.

"Actually, I have some news," started Andromeda, taking a deep breath, "I suppose in a way it relates to Sirius."

Druella frowned at her daughter, "What is it Andromeda?"

Andromeda continued to nervously twist her hands. It was now or never.

"I...I've met somebody."

Sirius mother scowled, "And why did his parents not inform us, you know the arrangements, we must see that he is suitable to become a member of this family."

Andromeda called upon all of the courage she held in her heart, and took a deep breath.

"I doubt you would find him to be...._suitable_...at least by your standards."

"Spit it out Andromeda," snapped Cygnus, her father.

"I...I'm getting married...to a man named...Ted Tonks."

The entire room fell silent. No one, save for Sirius, had heard of the family name 'Tonks'...which meant only one thing.

Druella stood up, grinding her teeth, "And what, dare I ask, is this boy's family status?"

Sirius reached under the table, and took his cousins hand. Andromeda squeezed his in thanks.

"He's...he's a Muggle-born."

Watching a mother try to hex her own daughter only further provided a reason for Sirius to hate his family. To have his own father threaten to kill him for shielding Andromeda from the barrage of items being thrown at her showed him just how lucky he was to be different. After begging Andromeda to just run, and go to Ted's, Sirius watched his mother point her wand at the Black Family Tree tapestry, blasting Andromeda from their family forever. He wondered if he would ever be in that situation, erased from the family as if it meant nothing. In his heart of hearts, he sincerely hoped he would.

* * *

_A/N: And there we have it :) any good? As always, let me know._

_Now, I have a suggestion...and idea really...for a story._

_As you all know, after TMT:THY, there will be a sequel, following the lives of our heroes after Hogwarts, until that fateful night on October 31st, 1981._

_That is a definate, now, last night, a plot came to me in a dream, and I was just wondering about your thoughts on it._

_After the sequel to the current story, I would very much like to write an AU continuation, in which Sirius and Remus gain custody of little Harry Potter. And it will go on from there. I won't say too much now, I don't want to spoil it...but...what do you think?_

_Let me know, I'm quite excited about the idea._

_Grace ~_


	22. Lilyflower

_A/N: And there we have it ladies and gentlemen, chapter twenty two, for your enjoyment!_

_Review responses:_

_**splatteredpaint:** Yay! That's good to hear :) Oh wow, that sounds so amazing! I'd love to be able to do have something like that happen near where I live. :D I like writing about first bits of magic, you can be as imaginative as you want! There I go with my ruddy spelling! I'm really not on form right now, am I. Sorry :( I'll go and change it :) Thanks for telling me! Yeah it was a little depressing, but really, I think Andromeda was a lot happier without her family, and she has the Tonks', of course :D Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**CwamBeta:** Welcome to the story, and thank you very much. Oh it's fine, I know it won't be everybody's cup of tea, I for one aren't too fond of Harry/Hermione fics, yet I know they're are a lot out there. Anywhoo, thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too :)_

_**MissWendyBird:** Oh, the seeds are definitely growing...I can't wait till they bloom :D (urgh, my jokes are terrible haha). Well, we're nearing fourth year, so only three year to go really, I promise it'll be worth the wait :D (I've already written a first kiss between two of the characters...though I won't say who ;) ). I know, it would be awful. But she has Ted, who I think is brilliant, and I wish we'd seen more of him in HP (I was devastated when he died :( ). Glad you like the idea, mind, it'll be awhile before that story is written, but I just thought I'd run it by you guys. Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy this next chapter!_

_**MissCanada:** The Black's are awful, aren't they! But Andromeda is moving on to better things, so that's a consolation at least. :D glad you like the idea too! It'll be awhile, but I know I'll enjoy writing it. Thank you, I love the language, it's my favourite out of them all! I'm really happy that you like Holly too, the Knight's are personal favourites of mine. Thank you for once again reading and reviewing, and I very much hope you enjoy this chapter too!_

_**genjutsumaster: **Thank you XD Haha, drama is brilliant though, eh? Oh, I hope you feel better, maybe this chapter will cheer you up a little :) Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter just as much :)_

_**Fairywolf:** Haha, don't worry about it! I'm always thinking about it at work, I actually called one of my workmates James the other day (he's called Jonathan, now you know where I stole the name haha). Clearly he now thinks I'm crazy...oh well :). Glad you liked Remus' part, he deserves all the happiness he can get. Ahh I love your ideas, they always make me grin, and they're really good! It's in your file (entitled Fairywolf's plot lines I've decided to steal :D). Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and I really hope you like this chapter too!_

_**000kayko000:** Thank you! You know, I never actually checked. I get all my information from the HP wiki, so I think I'll pop over and have a look. I have no idea if she's younger, I just always assumed she'd be older. I'll let you know, anyway :) Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy this next chapter!_

_**Geniia:** Thank you! Yeah, Andromeda was Sirius' favourite cousin, so I can imagine he would have helped Andromeda as much as he could. Yeah, sorry I didn't make it clearer, but yeah that's basically the premise. Peter's descent into the Death Eaters will be a major plotline of the sequel! I'm so excited to write about it. I have a few ideas of what could have set it off, but I think that because Sirius and Remus felt so betrayed by him was maybe because they actually never saw it coming, so maybe Peter was a lovely person at Hogwarts. Who knows, eh? It'll be so interesting to write about, I think. Thank you, as always, for taking the time to read and review, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**VampireWithTheGoldenEyes:** Thank you :D Yes, Christmas is just the best time of year! Well, I think in the end Andromeda and Sirius ended up the happiest out of all of the Blacks, so at least we know that. Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_To everyone who read this, thank you so very much, and I hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of this...save for my OC's and the plotlines. It's not going to make me millions, so don't worry, I'm not going to even try!_

_On with the show..._

_

* * *

_

**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Twenty Two**_

**_Lilyflower_**

Lily glanced back down at the note in her hand. She hadn't spoken to Severus much lately; they'd both been busy with their own friends and the schoolwork. They didn't even work together in Potions anymore, Slughorn having paired them off at the beginning of the year. Lily now worked with Christina, Holly worked with Remus, James (much to his utter joy) still worked with Sirius, though they knew Slughorn was losing patience with the behaviour of the boys, and was probably regretting the decision, and Peter worked with Bridget. So you can imagine her surprise to find a note from said Slytherin at the end of their potions lesson, asking her to meet him.

She spotted him standing alone in a small alcove near the entrance to dungeons; beady eyes watched the students as they passed.

"Lily, I really think we should stay with you," said Holly worriedly, "I don't trust him."

"Holly, we're friends; he wouldn't do anything like that."

"I'm with Holly," piped up Chris, "He's a Slytherin! They're all the same."

Lily sighed, "You've never even given him a chance. He's not like the others."

"What, those idiots he calls friends?" muttered Bridget, "They're horrible Lily, Rosier...Avery...Mulciber...they're evil, pure evil! Have you seen some of the curses they use on the first years!?"

"And every time they've argued with the Marauders, one of them has ended up bleeding," exclaimed Chris.

"Don't tell me _you're_ calling them 'Marauders' too," chuckled Lily.

Chris shrugged, "It's catchy, but seriously Lils, don't do this."

They reached the end of the corridor, and Lily turned to her friends.

"I'll see you at dinner, don't worry". She quickly hugged them, and hurried over to Snape. Holly, Bridget and Chris hesitated for a moment, then left. However they'd be coming back – with reinforcements!

"Hi Sev!"

"Hey Lily, Merlin, it feels like ages since we spoke."

"I know," smiled Lily sadly, "We'll have to do this more often."

In all honesty, the only reason they hadn't seen as much of each other was his other friends, but she wasn't ready to tell him that...yet.

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Lily as they slowly walked towards the great hall.

Snape remained silent for a moment, then answered.

"Lupin."

"Remus?"

Snape nodded.

Lily frowned, "What about him?"

Snape sighed, and glanced around.

"He's been...disappearing lately...haven't you noticed?"

"His mum's sick," Lily scowled, "He goes to visit her."

"Every month?" Snape quirked an eyebrow, "Don't you think it's a little...strange?"

Lily studied him for a moment. There was a gleam in his eye; a gleam that unnerved her.

"Why are you so obsessed with them?" she mumbled.

Snape blinked, then scowled, "I am _not_ obsessed with them."

Lily sighed, "Whenever we talk, which isn't that often I might add, you always manage to bring one of them up...why?"

"Potter likes you," mumbled Snape, "He's no good for you Lily, everyone thinks he's so brilliant, with his stupid broomstick, and his stupid friends..." he trailed off, not daring to look at Lily.

The red head watched him for a moment, torn between anger that he was assuming she'd _ever_ go after Potter, and pity that he seemed so...jealous.

"Sev, I've told you already, me and Potter...it's not going to happen...we're not even friends really, I mean, we haven't argued much this year, but –"

"See!" cried Snape, "It's the first step! You don't know what he's really like! He's arrogant...self centred –"

Lily held up her hand, her eyes flashing dangerously, "DON'T....tell me what I do and do not know Sev, I know perfectly well what Potter's like, but you're making him out to be...well...evil! And he's not, he may be immature and conceited, but he's certainly not as bad as...as some of those people _you_ hang around with."

Snape frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "I think you know Sev," she glanced over to the entrance to the great hall. Holly, Bridget and Chris had apparently informed the boys of her little 'meeting' and were watching her like a hawk.

"I have to go," her expression softened, "Sev, _please_ just drop this whole thing with the Marauders," Snape pulled a disgusted face, but Lily merely shrugged, "It's shorter than calling them all by name."

Snape shrugged, "Alright, I'll see you later Lily."

Lily nodded, and waved goodbye. The girls hurried over to her, eager to hear what had been said.

"Did you really have to bring them?" she sighed, nodding towards the boys who were whispering to each other, "If they do _anything_ to Sev I swear they'll regret it."

"We just wanted to make sure you were alright, and those four are more familiar with duelling than we are," said Holly.

"Not that we couldn't handle them," grinned Chris, "But I don't fancy facing the likes of Avery until I've had a little more practice."

The girls laughed, and headed back into the hall, Lily eyeing the boys warily as she passed.

~**~

Sirius was in a rather happy mood, despite the Christmas he'd had. That morning, Andromeda had told him she was going to have a baby with Ted. The news had been a shock, so soon after confessing her relationship with Ted to her family (perhaps that was why), but it also seemed to put him in a rather mischievous mood.

"You know, we haven't pulled off a full scale prank since we got back."

James and Remus glanced away from the Bowtruckle sketches and looked to Sirius.

"Have something in mind?" asked James.

Sirius shrugged, "A few things, nothing definite, but I was kind of hoping...maybe we could get Snape?"

As much as James was tempted, something held him back. Lily. He didn't want another reason for her to hate him, they were doing so well!

"Come on, Lily doesn't have to know," grinned Sirius, "Plus we need to get him back for following us around, and, it can be our first prank in honour of our latest addition to the Black family, may he or she continue to anger those lot for many years to come!"

James chuckled, but was still a little apprehensive. They'd just have to make sure Lily didn't get wind.

Nearby, Holly and Chris watched the boys with great interest.

"Think they're planning something?" asked Chris, scribbling down a few notes on her parchment.

"When are they not?" chuckled Holly, "James wants to hope Lily doesn't find out, I kind of like them not at each other's throats all of the time."

"The silence is golden," laughed Chris.

~**~

The silence ended at around eight thirty the following morning. Despite careful planning so Lily wouldn't find out James' involvement in the prank, it was pretty obvious the prank was that of the Marauders. After all, who else caused such disruption on a regular basis?

It started simply. The Marauders were on pleasant terms with the Hogwarts house-elves down in the kitchens, and persuading them to aid them in their trickery was easier than they thought.

Using the invisibility cloak, the boys snuck down to the kitchens late at night, planted the seeds of their plot, then hurried back, eager to see the results. Even Remus, who normally was a little apprehensive still when it came to deliberate troublemaking, was becoming more and more mischievous. Sirius said they had finally released his inner 'beast'.

The girls entered the Great Hall the following morning, tiredly taking seats at the Gryffindor table and pulling whatever was in reach towards them. Lily yawned loudly, toying with her porridge, and looked up as the flurry of owls delivering the morning post began.

"Anything?" Bridget asked, nodding to Holly who had just collected her copy of the Prophet from Vespa. The black owl hooted, and began dipping into Holly's cornflakes, whilst the brunette read.

"Nope, all's quiet," Holly handed Bridget the paper after scanning the front page, "Vespa, shoo!"

"Leave her alone, Knight. That owl's a ruddy star," sounded a gruff (and thankfully, squeak free voice) from behind her. Sirius' voice had settled nicely into a rather deep, rumbling tenor; whilst James' still varied and Peter and Remus' remained unchanged for the time being.

"What are you on about?" inquired Holly tiredly, shuffling up so the boys could take seats next to them. Lily didn't look all too happy about it, but didn't say anything.

"Vespa. I love that owl," he smiled fondly at the large bird, who merely hooted in response, nipped Holly's finger, then took off into the rafters and out of a window.

"We have double Gero," James groaned, checking his timetable, "Somebody hex me."

The friends were amused to see Lily's hand twitch for a moment, whilst James flinched.

"I wouldn't offer," Chris chuckled, piling more bacon onto her plate, "I'm sure –"

A loud scream cut Chris off. The Gryffindors whirled around in their seats to see almost half the Slytherin table swiping furiously at their tongues, spraying food all over and knocking plates to the floor. The girls craned their necks to see what was the problem, and couldn't find it, until a particularly nasty smell wafted their way.

"Oh – my – God," Bridget pinched her nose, her face scrunching in disgust, "What is that?!"

Lily whipped around to face James, her school jumper up over her nose and mouth.

"Dungbombs! Potter!" her muffled voice managed to shout over the kerfuffle in the hall. James seemed neither to notice, nor care, his eyes streaming and bent double with laughter.

"POTTER! BLACK! LUPIN! PETTIGREW!"

The boys immediately stood up, not bothering to argue, and started for McGonagall's office before she even reached them. As the Gryffindor head passed, she shot the girls an apologetic look, and hurried out of the hall.

The hall was starting to calm down, Professor Slughorn and Dumbledore ushering the affected students out of the hall and up to the hospital wing.

"I can't believe them! What was that for?" cried Lily. Chris merely shrugged, having managed to control her laughter.

"Do they ever need a reason?"

"MR BLACK! FOR THE LAST TIME! MY NAME IS PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL!"

Lily, of course, was refusing to speak to James after the incident, and had even went as far as to ignore the other Marauders too. For James, he was now back to square one.

James trudged back to the Gryffindor common after a night spent polishing the trophies in the trophy room, aching from head to toe. He spotted Lily and the girls in the corner, and winced at the glare he received from the red head. Their argument had been different that time, James had actually argued back, questioning her loyalty to Gryffindor and shouting at her for taking things too seriously. It wasn't as if the Dungbombs were dangerous, the Slytherins affected merely had severely bad breath for the next week or so.

He greeted his friends sleepily as he entered the boy's dormitory, all three of them tired from their various detentions, and flopped straight into bed. Lily was out of line, she'd see Snape's true colours someday; and the day couldn't come any sooner for James.

~**~

"....anything?"

"Nope."

"How long is this going to take?!"

"Guy's I really don't think I can do this."

"Course you can Pete, just concentrate."

"Nothing's happening!"

Remus sighed in exasperation and put his notes down. So far, all his friends had managed to do was prove they were the most impatient bunch of boys he'd ever met.

"This isn't going to happen overnight you know, what we're doing...most wizards never even achieve it!"

Sirius snorted, and opened his eyes, "Well most wizards aren't Sirius Black."

James chuckled, and chucked a book at Sirius, "Arrogant prat."

Sirius grinned and tossed a book back. Before it could turn into a full scale war, Remus waved his wand and froze the books in mid air.

"Listen, I understand if this is too hard," he sighed, "I'm not expecting you to do this, just..."

He stopped as James held up his hand, "Remus...we're just messing around, we _know_ this is gonna be hard, we knew from day one".

"Exactly," added Sirius, "Which is why it'll be so much better when we do accomplish it."

"If I can do it, there's hope for us all," chuckled Peter. Sirius let out a bark like laugh and clapped Peter on the back.

"See, even Pete thinks we can do it, now come on, let's try this again."

Remus shook his head and smiled, and picked up his notes.

"Ready...now...concentrate...."

After a few more hours of 'meditation', the Marauders headed down to one of their favourite haunts; the kitchens, where they had become a big hit with the hardworking house-elves, (Sirius was adamant a rather squeaky house-elf named Pokey had a thing for him...until little Pokey was in fact revealed to be male).

James helped himself to another cake whilst he and the boys spent another Sunday night in the kitchens.

"So, have you talked to Andromeda lately?" asked Remus.

Sirius nodded, "Yeah, she sent me a letter, she's doing great. She really likes it at the Tonks'."

"Has she heard from your family?" asked Peter quietly.

Sirius shook his head glumly, "They've completely cut her out. She said she's sent owls, but no one's replied. Bellatrix and Narcissa won't even talk to her anymore."

"Just because she's marrying a Muggle-born," muttered James darkly, "its sick...I don't get how it makes a difference."

"Neither do I," spat Sirius.

"At least she's happy. She must really love him to accept leaving her family like that," said Remus soothingly. Sirius smiled a little.

"Yeah, she does. I can't wait to meet him; Dromeda said she'll have me over at her place as soon as she gets settled, she said it might be awhile, what with the kid on the way, and all."

The boys nodded, knowing that it would still be a while before completely Sirius opened up. But they were willing to wait; it was what friends were for.

~**~

The second Quidditch match of the season dawned bright and warm, a stark contrast to the previous match. Having an early winter meant an early spring, and Jonny was working the team harder than ever. This was his last chance to win the cup, winning it once didn't seem good enough. He wanted to do something that hadn't happened to the Gryffindors in years, win the cup two years in a row.

Remus and Peter spotted Lily, Bridget and Chris leaving the school on their way to the pitch. The two boys hurried over to join them.

"Hey guys, excited for the match?" asked Chris jovially.

"As long as it isn't a repeat of the last one," chuckled Remus.

Chris nodded in agreement, "Hufflepuff are good, but I reckon we stand a fair chance."

"Jonny's had them practicing every night," said Remus with a tired smile, "I should bloody well hope so!"

The five Gryffindors laughed heartily, the excitement of the match beginning to take hold as they travelled through the sea of scarlet and canary supporters (Slytherins generally took whichever side were playing Gryffindor), and hurried down to the large pitch.

Down in the changing rooms, steely eyed and staring straight ahead of him in an almost trance like focus, Jonathan Ian Knight waited patiently for Madam Hooch to signal the team to go out onto the pitch. Behind him, his Quidditch team watched with a mixture of amusement and worry for their captain – he looked almost a different person.

"Reckon if I set this off, he'd notice?" whispered Sirius, holding up a brightly coloured firework. James snorted, the twinkle of an idea sparkling in his hazel eyes.

"Why in the name of Quidditch do you have a _firework_?" said Holly incredulously, eyeing the firework with distaste.

Sirius shrugged, "Desperate times. I reckon Jonny might fly into the Whomping Willow if we lose, not that we're going to," he added quickly, never one to back down that oh-so-charming arrogance of his. Holly rolled her eyes, ignoring the pleasurable squirm she had been accustomed to feeling around a certain grey eyed Marauder, and stepped up behind her brother.

"Jonny? Yoo hoo, Jonnykins?"

The team sniggered, Jonny barely moved.

"Make sure we win this, Holly," Holly was shocked by the sheer desperation in his voice, "Sis, I can't lose."

"We won't," assured Holly, reaching a hand behind her to grab James or Sirius' arm and bring in reinforcements. Really, their arrogance came in handy now and then.

Whilst two quarters of the Marauders ensured Jonathan they would indeed 'run Hufflepuff into the ground', as James so eloquently put it, Madam Hooch blew a whistle that signalled the teams to come out onto the field.

With deadly silence, and barely more than a good luck, Jonny led his team onto the pitch, looking as though he wasn't even aware of the screaming supporters all around him.

"AND FOR THE MIGHTY LIONS, WE HAVE BOY KNIGHT, POTTER, BROWN, GIRL KNIGHT, BLACK, MICHAELS AAAANNNDDDD FREDRICS!"

Fabian Prewett's deep, joyful voice good just be heard over the tumultuous applause rippling through the stadium. James and Sirius waved and winked at the crowed, along with Geoffrey. Jonny would've joined in; had he not looked like his toad Friar Tuck had just pegged it. As usual, the female members of the team rolled their eyes, but waved to the crowd none the less.

The Hufflepuff team were already waiting patiently in the middle of the field. Their captain, the 'ever smarmy Amos Diggory' as Jonny had dubbed him, shook hands cheerfully with his fellow seventh year, Jonny looking very much like he wanted to punch the rather handsome Hufflepuff.

"Perks of the game," Holly nudged Kelly and pointed to Amos, eliciting a lot of giggles from the girls. Sirius, who had heard, scowled and turned to Holly.

"Please, Knight. That idiot has nothing on the likes of me," he winked suggestively, Holly rolling her eyes. She was getting good at the whole nonchalant act, she thought.

"On my whistle," Madam Hooch began. The bludgers were released, followed by the tiny golden snitch. Hooch plucked the scarlet Quaffle out of the chest, casting glances to both teams, before tossing it into the air.

"....spectacular save there by Boy Knight, this is his last year folks! Let's hope he goes out with a bang!"

James watched Jess score for the third time, and punched the air. The game was going brilliantly. The team was on top form and they were already 30-0 up. James sped after the Hufflepuff chasers who were now in possession of the Quaffle. He spotted Sirius at the other end of the pitch, whacking a bludger towards the opposing team. He looked back and saw Holly was already positioned near the goal. He and Jess took the distraction of Sirius' bludger and took the Quaffle.

"GIRL KNIGHT SCORES! 40-0 TO GRYFFINDOR!"

James high fived Sirius as he passed, grinning madly. He sped up, chasing 'smarmy Diggory' down the pitch, the screams of supporters almost deafening.

"Smarmy Diggory to Abbott," Fabian clearly didn't notice McGonagall shouting at him, "Dodges Black's bludger, nice one there Sirius, passes back to Smarmy Diggory, and Smarmy Diggory is speeding down that pitch...how long before Boy Knight clocks him on in the eye do you reckon? My bet is five – alright Minnie, alright. Lovely robes by the way – and Potter steals the Quaffle! Boy Knight looks ready to kiss his cousin, not sure that's allowed, but whatever. Potter passes to Brown, who dips a little, passes to Girl Knight, who races up that pitch...too bad she's Jonny's sis eh? I'm joking Jonny-boy, I'm joking! Passes to Potter, whom, I might add, used to run round Boy Knight's back garden at age two, naked with his nappy on his head, thought I might share that...POTTER SCORES!!! 50-0 TO OUR MIGHTY LIONS!"

James, far too elated to retaliate for Fabians comment, hugged Holly and several members of his team while they celebrated. Jonny looked close to tears, but refused to move from his position as the game continued. James scanned the crowd quickly, and spotted his fellow Gryffindor third years hugging each other and cheering. A flash of red hair was enough to lift his spirits higher than the heavens.

"Smarmy Diggory takes the Quaffle, passes to Vincent, who drops it...shame, caught by Jess, who is looking particularly nice in that – _sorry_ Minerva dear, just getting caught up in the excitement – oh, real mature!"

James spun around wildly to see what Fabian was on about, and rolled his eyes to see the Slytherins making quite a display of chucking stuffed lions in the air, only to blast them apart in some sort of weird threat...thing.

"Idiots. You know, I do believe the gits are trying to scare us," Fabian sneered, "My questions is, how many of those lions belong to Wybock Grover, he seems the type to be a collector," loud snorts of laughter could be heard from the three other houses, one face in particular going ruby red with anger. James shook his head, and was about to return to the game, when –

"BLIMEY! WELL, SOMEONE DECIDED TO CHUCK A FIREWORK, WHOEVER IT IS, NICE ONE MATE!"

Whilst the sparks and hisses of a rather loud Filibuster firework worked its way through the Slytherin crowd, James passed a smirking Fabian Prewett and one set of dumbfounded teachers, chasing Diggory towards the goal.

Nobody really noticed Kelly's dive, as most people attention were on the Slytherins, who were now dashing in a panic away from the firework. Only the two teams seemed to have realised, and watched with avid fascination as Kelly Fredrics and Annie Kirkland raced neck and neck towards the tiny golden ball fluttering near the base of the commentator's booth.

"RUDDY HELL! THEY'VE SEEN THE SNITCH!" Fabian seemed to have caught on, and gazes were torn from the Slytherins to the two seekers plummeting towards the ground.

Breaths were held. The Quaffle was dropped, and Sirius narrowly avoided a bludger to the head as all was stopped to watch the outcome.

They were so close. So close...

"FREDRICS CATCHES THE SNITCH! THAT'S ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POINTS, FOLKS!! GRYFFINDOR RUDDY WELL WIN!!!"

~**~

James and Sirius returned to the common room hours later laden down with food from their trip to the kitchens (and Honeydukes, of course). Whilst Sirius dished out the food and butterbeer, James scanned the room. He spotted Lily and the girls chatting away with Kelly and her friends Mary MacDonald, Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadowes about the match. He sighed, wondering if he and Lily would ever sort things out. It was really quite ridiculous, Lily could be perfectly polite one moment, then a complete...well...bitch! He'd never say that to her face though, he doubted he'd get out of it alive if he did. He looked around again, and saw Remus and Peter talking with Jonny, Simon, Fabian and Gideon. He headed over, grabbing a butterbeer as he did so.

"There's my star chaser!" cried Jonny, clapping James on the back. James grinned and took a seat next to the boys.

"Don't let Holly hear you say that, she's already convinced she'll beat me to Quidditch captaincy when it's our turn," laughed James.

Jonny rolled his eyes, "It's all I hear about, she reckons _once _she's captain, you lot will have a winning streak."

"I'm sure we will," chuckled Remus, "She's pretty formidable."

Sirius bounded over to his friends after receiving many compliments from several Gryffindor third years as he did.

"Flirting again Black?" laughed Gideon.

"Of course, I'm here to please."

The boys laughed and shook their heads. James' gaze wandered once again over to Lily. She was laughing at something Chris had said. She looked so pretty when she laughed.

"Oi, James!"

James' snapped from his musings and saw Jonny waving a hand in front of his face.

"What?"

"You spaced out for a minute there, you alright?"

James' nodded, looking at his friends as though daring them to voice their thoughts. Sirius, Remus and Peter merely exchanged knowing glances, and thankfully, kept their mouths shut.

The partygoers quietened down as Professor McGonagall entered the common room. They all groaned collectively and began heading towards their dorms. McGonagall however, ignored the party and headed straight over to the girls. James and the others watched in interest as the professor spoke to Chris. Chris frowned, then got up and left the room with the professor. Once she had left, Sirius shouted over to the girls.

"What's up with Chris!"

Lily, Bridget and Holly looked over, and shrugged.

"No idea, sounds serious though."

Their faces fell, and they glanced at each other fearfully. The boys seemed to understand, and hurried over.

"You don't think..." said Remus in a hushed whisper.

"No...no...she's a pureblood....it can't be," said a teary eyed Bridget.

"Half her family are married to Muggles or Muggle borns," grimaced Holly. She ran her hand through her hair, perfectly mimicking her cousin, "Oh god."

Lily ignored the fact that she hated when people – well, James – had that annoying habit, and wrapped her arm around Holly.

"We'll wait for her," she looked at the boys, "I think it'd be better if it was just us."

James and the boys nodded, and slowly got up, all praying what they supposed was wrong.

~**~

They were right. The night of the Quidditch party, Christina's Aunt Maggie, Uncle Greg and two cousins, Jake and Jennifer, were attacked and killed by Death Eaters. Chris' dad was an Auror, and therefore a target already, but her uncle Greg was a Muggle-born, and one of the top on the list, it seemed.

Chris didn't return until a week later, upset but hanging in there. What devastated her most, was that mere weeks ago, little Jake and Jennifer had performed their first bits of magic. Their lives had barely begun. The wizarding world was left reeling. At three years old, the Harper twins had become the youngest victims of the war so far. James watched as his fellow Gryffindors, even those who didn't know Chris rallying around to support her. Fifth years Kelly, Mary, Marlene and Dorcas, who had gotten quite friendly with the third year Gryffindors over the past week, made a point of ensuring Chris never crossed paths with any Slytherins, whilst Jonny and his friends (with some help from the Marauders) felt that hexing was the only way to keep them away. Lily didn't even protest, but to see the lengths the Gryffindors were going to, to protect Chris...well, it made him so proud to be part of that house.

"Hi."

Lily, Holly and Bridget jumped to their feet as they spotted Chris standing in the doorway to their dorm room. She looked pale, very pale, and the normal sparkle in her azure blue eyes was dimmed. She smiled weakly, and allowed her friends to envelope her in a tight embrace.

"How are you?" asked Lily softly, as the four girls sat down on Bridget's bed.

"I'm holding up...it's just...shock, you know," fresh tears sprung to her eyes, but she managed to keep them from falling. Holly quickly handed her a tissue.

"Thanks," she whispered, blowing her nose.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Bridget, placing a comforting hand on her friends arm. Chris shook her head.

"Not really, I'd rather just forget it, I mean...at least they're safe now...right?"

"Right," said Lily firmly, her stomach dropping.

The attack had shaken Lily more than she cared to admit. She knew the attacks were bad, but for it to happen to one of her best friends, to happen so close to home, it made Lily wonder whether anyone was safe, anyone at all. What was worse, she herself was a Muggle born...what if they got her family?

"How about we take a little trip to the kitchens," suggested Holly, "I could use some of those éclairs right now."

Chris smiled. She really had the best friends in the world.

"Yeah...I'd like that."

~**~

A few weeks later, spring had fully set in. The air was fresh and the sun bright, but the recent attacks and oppression of Voldemort was casting a shadow over the students. It was hard; everybody was at risk, unless you were a Slytherin; who all seemed rather proud of the attack in Upper Flagely.

Chris seemed to be doing well. Though she was almost back to her usual, cheery self, James had often noticed a shadow of pain flit across her face whenever a new story on Voldemort surfaced. However, Chris was a fighter, and James knew she'd be alright, even if that shadow of pain never did truly leave.

James, Sirius and Peter clambered through the portrait hole after another night of Animagi studying. It was around six when they finally went back to the common room. Thankfully, it was a weekend, but it was also a Hogsmeade weekend, so the boys would still only have a few hours sleep at best. They had promised to wait for Remus to return from the hospital wing before going to the wizarding village, and though they had suggested he get as much rest as possible, Remus had not wanted to miss out.

The Marauders wandered the village for a little while, before heading into the Three Broomsticks to see Madam Rosmerta.

The boys chatted with her for awhile before the customers began piling in and she was forced to go back to work. They moved to their usual table near the back of the bar, and sat down.

They talked for awhile about Gryffindors chances of winning the cup, and wondering whether the Slytherins would turn to 'dirty play' as they were normally accustomed to.

"Hi guys!"

James and the boys chorused a hello to Chris, who was looking substantially better and was back to her bubbly self (even though there was a shadow of pain in her eyes James doubted would ever go away) and the girls, and moved up so they could sit down. James was amazed that Lily was actually allowing the girls to sit with them, but kept his mouth shut, not wanting to ruin it.

"No dates?" asked Remus, taking a sip of butterbeer.

Chris shook her head, "Nope, we're far too young to be worrying about boys."

"What about you?" asked Lily.

Remus shook his head, "You know as well as I do Sirius is the only one out of us lot to ever have a date."

Lily chuckled, "And why don't you have a date, Sirius?"

Sirius frowned, "I see you're talking to me?"

Lily blinked at her slip, and mumbled something. Sirius sniggered.

"Because I've decided a little Marauder time was due Lilyflower...hey, I like that, Lilyflower you are," he grinned. Lily shook her head, but was smiling. When Sirius wasn't hexing people, showing off or snogging girls, he really could be quite charming. And in all honesty, it wasn't Sirius she was angry at, just James. She didn't know why, the prank _had_ been pulled by _all_ of the Marauders. Lily just liked to tell herself it was all James' idea, and that the others had been dragged into it. Yes, that was what happened, she thought.

"What about me? I want a nickname," grinned Chris, never one to be left out. Sirius thought long and hard, then snapped his fingers.

"Collywobble?"

Chris snorted, "It'll do."

"I don't need a nickname," said Bridget quickly as Sirius looked at her with a grin.

Sirius then turned to Holly, "I'd think of one for you Hols, but I reckon James and Jonny wouldn't find them amusing."

James punched his friend in the arm whilst the others laughed. They stayed in the pub for a little while, before the girls decided to head back for some thing's they'd forgotten. James and the boys headed back the school, three of them in good spirits, only one of them still disheartened.

* * *

_Like it? Loathe it? Let me know, as always :)_

_Grace ~_


	23. Little Angels and Little Devils

_A/N: Here it is folks, chapter Twenty Three, the penultimate chapter of Third Year :D_

_I'm so sorry I didn't update yesterday, I was at a friend's eighteenth, and suffice to say, it was bloody odd! I saw my ex from about two years ago, and we used to hate each other, but last night we were chattering away like old friends! It was mad! But lovely, I'd forgotten how nice he was, and it really made my day to know we're friends again, and reminisce on the good times. It's made me happy, and my happy mood has influenced the chapter, as you can see at the end :D_

_Review responses:_

_**Vampfromthemountain:**__ Here it is!!! Enjoy, won't you! Thanks for reading :)_

_**evershort: **__Glad you liked it, and the idea too! Yeah, Andromeda is really brave, and so is Sirius! Thank for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Glad you feel better :)_

_**genjutsumaster: **__I'm glad you liked it :) although I hated writing the part about Chris...and it's only going to get worse :( I know! I'd kill to have a broomstick!!! (a real one, I mean) Thank you very much for reading, and please enjoy the next chapter!_

_**Fairywolf:**__ Thank you :D Glad you liked the part about the fireworks too :) Thank you for saying I'm a good author too *blushes*. Your my little idea factory haha, I stole a little part of your idea for this chapter, see if you can see it :D Thank you for reading, and I hope you like this chapter too!_

_**MissCanada:**__ Thank you! I know, it's so sweet! I love Remus and Tonks! Poor Chris, but deaths have to happen, unfortunately :( I love Snape too, it is sad to see the friendship break. Hmm, I'm not sure about that actually. I know it will be when they're older, but I might pop it in while they're still at school it sounds like a good idea :D Thank you for reading, as always, and please enjoy the next chapter :)_

_**CwamBeta:**__ Thank you very much, I was never fantastic with foreign languages tbh. I'm glad you liked the Sirius/Andromeda part too, he always said she was his favourite cousin. There'll be more deaths too, as much as I hate writing them, you're right. Not everyone can survive. About the one Marauder per girl thing, well I wasn't planning on having them all pair off anyway, but I don't want to give too much away, you know. I know it seems cliché (no idea how to do accents either) but it won't end up that way. Thank you for reading, and please enjoy the next chapter._

_**Bookworm315:**__ Thank you! I know, it was why I wrote her Christmas separately, 'cause I'd planned their deaths early on (I'm awful, I know), but that's the tragedy of war I suppose. It's okay :) I couldn't even update yesterday, I felt terrible! Thank you very much for reading, and I hope this chapter is worth the wait :)_

_**MissWendyBird:**__ I love your pen name, it sounds so 'fairytale-ish'. I'm glad you liked the prank :D I always feel like I don't have enough in. Yeah, I think I've written Fabian as a mixture of the Weasley twins and Lee :) Lupin's death devastated me, I read it and my jaw just dropped! I was a bit annoyed that we didn't see him much in battle, he deserved a real heroes death, you know. Haha, I'm not telling *grins evilly again* but I hope it's worth the wait! Thank you for reading, and please enjoy this (late) chapter :)_

_**TheMaraudersaremyhomies:**__ Thank you very much :D and welcome to my story! I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! We'll have plenty of plot twists coming up, I promise, and I hope they'll be worth the wait! Thank you very much for reading, and please enjoy the chapter :)_

_**Starr22: **__Thank you, and welcome to the story :) Glad you liked it, and neither can I haha. Thank you for reading, I hope you like this chapter :)_

_**splatteredpaint: **__Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. Oooh, that's a good idea. I think I might have something along those lines in my notes...I'll go have a check haha. I know, next years we'll be seeing a lot more of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs peeking through, I promise. :D I'm glad you liked the Quidditch match too, I always love writing those :) It's your birthday tomorrow, wooo. I'll make a dedication for you as a present :) Thanks for reading, and I sincerely hope you like the next chapter!_

_**Geniia:**__ Thank you :) Haha, yes, I remembered you liked the familiar names, so I threw one in! I'd love to write some Lupin/Tonks, actually. Especially their wedding and about little Teddy! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter too :)_

_**000kayko00:**__ Thank you! Here it is. Thank you for reading, I hope you like it!_

_**appleeater123: **__Thank you, I'm glad you're still enjoying it. And no problem, I love hearing all your thoughts so soon :) Thank you for reading, and please enjoy this chapter too._

_**quirky-as-alice: **__Glad you liked it! The Black's are awful! I'm afraid more tragedy is to come, unfortunately. Thank you for reading, and I hope you like this chapter too!_

_**AnotherCinderella18:**__ Thank you! Here it is, please enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I'm still lacking in money, so clearly this is no source of income for me..._

_Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy...._

* * *

**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

_**Chapter Twenty Three**_

_**Little Angels (and Little Devils)**_

"You know, I really think we need to start teaching Snivellus a lesson...show the school he isn't as wonderful as he thinks."

James pondered Sirius' proposition for a moment, looking over at the group of Slytherins, where Snape and his friends were cackling loudly. He glanced back down at the article in the _Daily Prophet_ he had sneaked out of his bag, about the latest attack on the wizarding world. Yes, and show Lily he wasn't too, show her who was really worth spending time with, who was really better.

"Good plan; we've been laying off him a little, haven't we?"

Sirius nodded, quickly glancing to make sure McGonagall was still preoccupied with another student, "I found this book at my place, it's full of hex's and curses we could use, my parents never use it, apparently it's not evil enough for them."

James chuckled quietly, "They still pure-blood maniacs?"

"Of course, they'll always believe Voldemort and his ideals are wonderful," muttered Sirius darkly, "Nutter's, the lot of them!"

"Are we talking about the Slytherins?" whispered Remus with a grin, turning around in his seat.

"Sort of," laughed Sirius, "What's the answer to question seven?"

"Didn't you do the homework?" Remus asked quirking an eyebrow.

Sirius laughed, "Naaa, told McGonagall we've had Quidditch practice, and we all know how much she wants us to win."

Remus shook his head, "How do you get away with it?"

"My charm and stunning good looks, most likely."

Remus snorted, and turned back around. Sirius glanced at James, who in turn was staring at Lily.

"Give it up James; she isn't going to come around."

James shrugged, "You never know, so, what did you have in mind for Snivellus?"

Sirius' face broke into an evil grin, "Many things Mr Potter, many things."

"You know, the exams are coming up," said Remus with a frown, "Shouldn't you be studying?"

Sirius pulled a face, "Fine, we'll wait until after the exams, but mark my words, we _will_ get him!"

Remus sighed, and turned back to his work. As if he had any control over them anyway.

~**~

"These bloody exams!"

Sirius snapped his potions book shut, and tossed it onto the grass. It was a stiflingly hot day, and the boys (well, Remus really) had decided to revise for their exams under their usual beech tree near the lake.

"It's a good job I'm brilliant at it," he muttered, picking up a charms textbook.

"Then help me, I haven't got a clue," pleaded Peter. Sirius sighed and took Peter's notes, scribbling here and there. James leant back against the tree and allowed his gaze to wander to the group of girls studying near the lakes edge. Lily stood out most of all, her long red hair glinting in the sunlight. He sighed, wishing she'd at least glance over...just once.

"James?"

"Yeah?"

He turned to see Sirius grinning manically.

"Slytherins."

James whipped his head around and spotted Snape, Avery, Mulciber and Wilkes charming stones to hurl themselves at a group of second years.

"Perfect," grinned James, standing up.

"Guys, what are you doing?" asked Remus warily. He looked extremely tired; tonight was a full moon.

The two boys ignored him and started towards the Slytherins. Remus and Peter glanced at each other, and jumped to their feet.

"Oi!"

The four silver and green clad students whipped around, wands already out and pointing at the Gryffindor third years.

"What do you want Potter?" Snape spat.

James smirked, "Taken to harassing second years? Have you been through the first years already?"

"Shove off Potter, if you know what's good for you," snapped Mulciber.

James narrowed his eyes.

"What're you gonna do, call your Death Eater pals and have them do your dirty work?"

"I don't need Death Eaters to teach you a lesson," smirked Mulciber, "Though I'm sure they'd be more than happy to pay a visit to your blood-traitor of a cousin and her mud-blood friend."

Without second thought, James lunged at Mulciber, completely forgetting about wands. Sirius growled, and jumped into the brawl, never one to miss such an opportunity. Wilkes and Avery soon joined too, whilst Snape looked on in glee. Remus and Peter rushed forward, trying to break up the fight.

"IMPEDIMENTA!"

James felt himself being thrown away from the pile of bodies. He scrambled to his feet, his wand outstretched.

"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE!?"

Lily Evans stood, wand outstretched, a murderous glare on her face. James glanced at Sirius, who was sporting a bloody nose. The Slytherins weren't much better off, and James himself felt a small trickle of blood from above his eyebrow.

"He called you a...a...," was his first reaction, trailing off and scrunching his nose a little.

Lily's eyes widened momentarily, then returned to a scowl.

"I don't need you fighting just because he called me a name," she hissed, "Bloody hell Potter I can take care of myself you know."

James mouthed wordlessly at Lily. He peripherally noticed Sirius struggling to get to the Slytherins, but being held back by Remus and Peter. His gaze rested on Snape, who was grinning smugly, his eyes occasionally drifting to Lily. He snapped.

"TARANTALLEGRA!"

Snape yelped as his legs began to jerk and dance uncontrollably. A crowd had gathered around the argument, and the onlookers burst into laughter. Holly, Chris and Bridget pushed through the crowd, hurrying straight to Lily.

"POTTER!" screamed Lily, whipping out her wand.

"Finite Incantatum."

Snape's legs stopped dancing as he fought to catch his breath, his face the picture of anger and his normally pallid face tinged with pink.

"Aww, now he has girls fighting for him," sneered Sirius.

"I don't need help from her," spat Snape.

Lily scowled, and lowered her wand. She wouldn't take it to heart; his pride was hurt, that was all.

"Potter, I suggest you leave now before I do something I certainly won't regret."

James opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't find any words. He turned on his heel and grabbed Sirius' arm. The four boys stormed back over to their tree and gathered up their things. Lily turned to Snape, "Are you alright?"

Snape nodded, glaring at Lily's friends. She seemed not to notice.

"I'll see you later Sev."

Snape nodded and watched Lily and her friends head back to the lake; the red heads voice still fuming. Avery came up behind Snape and snorted.

"Why do you talk to a mud-blood like her?"

Snape rounded on Avery, "_Don't_ call her that, she's different."

"Whatever, she's still on the Dark Lords list; you'd do well to remember that."

Snape watched his friends turn away and head back to the castle. Snape sighed, torn between his love for Lily, and his loyalty to his friends....and the Dark Lord.

~**~

"CAN YOU BELIEVE HER!?"

Sirius paced back and forth, his hands balled into fists, "STICKING UP FOR SLIME LIKE HIM!"

"Sirius, calm down," said Remus soothingly. He looked to James for help, but he seemed too depressed to even hold his head up.

"I swear Remus, I'll get him, one of these days, I'll get him," Sirius picked up his bedside lamp and hurled it at the wall. Remus sighed, thinking of the amount of times that poor lamp had had to bear the brunt of Sirius' anger. He waved his wand and repaired the lamp, placing it next to his own and out of reach. Sirius lowered himself onto his bed, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Honestly Potter, I don't see what you see in her," hissed Sirius, "She's just as bloody bad as them."

James jumped to his feet, "DON'T EVER SAY THAT AGAIN BLACK!"

Sirius stood up to challenge him, "Oh, taking a leaf out of Evans' book are we," he sneered. James raised his fist, but Remus managed to step in between them.

"If either of you so much as look at each other angrily I'll hex you into next year, this is _ridiculous_, why are you letting the Slytherins get to you?"

Sirius and James continued to glare at each other until Peter had the sense to drag James over next to him.

"Sit," hissed Remus to Sirius.

"Make me," challenged Sirius. Remus pulled out his wand and Sirius begrudgingly sat down. Remus was far too good at Defence against the Dark Arts to challenge.

"Now you're both going to calm down, I'm leaving again tonight, and if I so much as hear a whisper that you two have been fighting, you'll be _very_ sorry."

James and Sirius looked incredulously at Remus; he _never_ spoke like that to anyone.

"Yes mum," James and Sirius glanced at each other and grinned, tickled that they had both attempted the same sort of humour.

"Good, now Peter, watch them for me, and for the love of Circe, keep James away from Lily."

Peter mock saluted and stood up with his wand out, causing the others to burst out laughing. Remus sighed, and ran his hand through his slightly greying hair, "I'll be back in the morning, Pomfrey's been letting me out earlier," he picked up his overnight bag and bade the boys goodbye. Sirius turned to James and held out his hand.

"Sorry I said what I said, it was out of order."

James waved his hand away, "You were angry, don't worry about it."

Peter grinned, "Now that you two have kissed and made up, can we get to the Room of Requirement, I'm pretty sure something'll happen tonight."

James and Sirius laughed again, and James pulled out his invisibility cloak.

"We'll get some dinner then head off, come on."

~**~

At dinner, the boys became quickly aware that Lily and the girls had decided to boycott them. Normally, Holly, Chris and Bridget would smile and wave over to them when they entered; this time they completely ignored them. James was sure they were probably angry about the tussle with the Slytherins, which because they had not seen the Slytherins picking on the seventh years, seemed unprovoked.

"Take it none of them are speaking to us," James said lamely, sitting a few seats down from the Gryffindor girls.

Sirius shrugged, seeming awfully unperturbed by the entire thing, and set to finishing his dinner in record timing. Peter didn't seem to have noticed at all, so James dropped it, and started piling stew onto a plate.

After a hurried dinner, the boys raced out of the Great Hall back to the dormitory, to collect James' invisibility cloak, then head down to the Room of Requirement.

The boys turned a corner on the fifth floor, and spotted the girls slowly walking towards them; although they of course couldn't see them. James glanced at Sirius, who was grinning, and apparently had some sort of idea.

"I know it was unprovoked, but I really don't think ignoring them completely is going to help," Bridget sighed, twisting a lock of sandy hair around her finger.

Lily shook her head, "Bridget, they attacked them for no reason. I mean, yes, I can't stand Avery and his little cronies, but what about Sev? Just because he was there, he was hexed? I don't think that's fair at all."

Chris chewed her lip, "We know, Lils. But we didn't see the whole thing. And like James said, Avery called you a _you-know-what_; James would hex anyone who even thought that!"

"I don't care, I don't need anyone sticking up for me!"

Holly chuckled, "No one's doubting that, Lils. I for one am all for ignoring Black, it's a lot of fun, but in all fairness, they don't deserve it."

"You're no angel yourself, Lily," Chris giggled.

"Ugh!" Lily threw her hands in the air, knowing she was fighting a losing battle.

"Fine, be friends with them! Marry them for all I care! But I am _not_ speaking to them. Not until they give up this vendetta they have."

Bridget laughed, and patted Lily gently on the shoulder, "That's all we ask. How about a trip to the kitchens, I could use something sweet."

As the girls nodded, and agreed, they did not notice the three invisible boys watching them with matching grins, wands out and at the ready.

A few whispered charms and a fit of silent laughter later, the boys and girls went their separate ways, the girls blissfully unaware that they had just been subjected to some Marauder Mischief.

~**~

"POTTER!"

James winced as he heard pounding footsteps growing closer, and the bang of a door being thrown open. James glanced at Sirius, who was already doubled up with laughter, to Peter, who had gone an odd shade of red whilst fighting his own mirth, to Remus, who merely looked confused.

Lily Evans stood in the doorway, her face almost as red as her hair, eyes narrowed and glinting dangerously. However, in addition to her normal anger, was a small glowing halo hovering a few inches above her hair. She did not look pleased.

"Get. It. Off." She ground out, looking from one Marauder to another. James screwed his eyes up and tightened his lips, willing himself not to laugh. They snapped open, however, at a second voice sounding in the room.

"Get off me! I'll murder the insolent little –."

"Holly calm down, we need to torture them before we murder them," said a third voice.

"Slow torture, we need to make them pay, Chris," a fourth voice had now joined the throng. James opened his eyes, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Aside from Lily with her rather pretty halo, Chris and Bridget were given the same, whilst Holly had been lumbered with a pair of bright red devil horns.

"Get them off Black, or I swear you'll regret it," Holly stepped towards Sirius, who funnily enough, flinched a little.

"But you _are_ a little devil," Sirius smirked, winking at the dark haired girl. James jumped quickly between the pair as Holly whipped out her wand.

"How do you even know this was us?" he asked innocently. Holly rolled her eyes, and tried to shove James out of the way.

Lily growled from behind Holly, "Don't insult our intelligence, Potter. We know it was you lot! Now bloody take them off!"

Sirius ducked around James, grinning like a complete idiot, "But Evans, you three are our little angels, you should be –"

Sirius clutched his throat, looking half annoyed, half amused at the sneaky silencing charm Holly had placed on him.

"James take them off, we can't go around school like this!" cried Christina, pushing Lily aside and sticking her hands on her hips.

James smirked, "And why would we do that? You four have done nothing but ignore us after we saved those second years yesterday, what makes you think we would help you?"

Chris turned an interesting shade of pink, and whipped out her wand. Bridget saved the day by quickly rushing over and grabbing the blonde's wand arm.

"Remus, help us," she begged, her amber eyes resting on Remus' tired form. The light haired boy, who had sat through the entire exchange with an amused expression on his face, merely shrugged, and picked up his book.

"I wasn't there when these lot did this, so I'm afraid I can't do anything...Marauders code."

Lily raised an eyebrow, "Marauders what?"

"Code," Sirius turned to his trunk, rifling through the mess of clothing, socks, Dungbombs and quills, before pulling out a rather tattered looking piece of parchment.

He cleared his throat, and unfolded the parchment, his grey eyes twinkling, and handed it to Holly. The dark eyed girl quirked and eyebrow, and walked over to the other girls, who began to read.

_The Marauders Code to General Tomfoolery and Waywardness_

_Number One: A Marauder never lies, unless to save themselves from the wrath of one Minerva McGonagall, or to cover up for an ingenious or illegal plan._

_Number Two: A Marauder never blames another Marauder, it's always everyone's fault._

_Number Three: A Marauder must swear to uphold the good name of said Maraudery by pulling at least one prank a day, be it large or small scale._

_Number Four: Should a Marauder not participate in a prank, for whatever reason, be it ill health or otherwise, said Marauder cannot reverse the effects of the prank without permission of the prank pullers._

_Number Five: No matter who, a girl shall never come between the Marauders, a Marauder must always put his fellows first. This excludes snogging in a broom closet._

_Number Six: A Marauder must always know when they have gone too far. We don't any deaths now, do we?_

_Number Seven: A Marauder never betrays. Should a Marauder betray one of his fellows, the penalty shall be public humiliation, casting out of said group of Marauders...perhaps even death. Depends on what mood we're in._

_Number Eight: A Marauder must always uphold the honour of Gryffindor, and defend those who need defending._

_Number Nine: A Marauder must never wear green._

_Number Ten: A Marauder must vow that if ever he crosses paths with Voldemort, he must find Peter and get him to tell Voldy his joke about the hag and the warlock...said Dark Lord is sure to die of boredom by the time it is finished!_

_Hey! That's a good joke!_

_Sure it is, Pete, sure it is._

The girls glanced up at the four boys who were grinning foolishly, obviously very proud of their little 'code'.

"You lot are complete idiots, you know that?" Lily snorted, handing Sirius the piece of parchment.

Sirius shrugged, "We try. Now be off with you! We have classes to attend!"

"Not until you get rid of these," hissed Holly, jabbing a thumb at her glowing red horns. The four Marauders glanced at each other, then smirked identically.

"No," they said in unison. The four girls uttered cries of fury, then stormed out of the room.

Just as Lily was about to leave, she turned back to face James in particular.

"We'll get you back," and with that, she left, slamming the door in her wake.

* * *

_Like it? Don't? Let me know :)_

_I'm off to attend another eighteenth :D Have a good weekend everyone, I know I will!!!_

_Grace ~_


	24. Maraudettes

_A/N: I'm back :D I've got my new lap top (green, I might add), and it's all virus free and ready to be put through a serious work out. I won't be giving review responses until the next chapter, as I've had so many because of my absence, and I figured you'd just want to go straight ahead and read the chapter. I have a few things I need to tell you, but I'll leave them till the end of the chapter._

_Without further ado .. the end of Third Year, ladies and gentlemen :)_

_

* * *

_

**The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years**

**_Chapter Twenty Four_**

**_Maraudettes_**

James would have been lying if he said he didn't feel a little bad for what the girls were being put through. For the entire morning they had endured much teasing from classmates, but because they'd only had Professor Binns that morning (and the ghost never noticed anything new, not even the fact that he was dead) the Marauders had not been forced to reverse the charms, thus saving them from probable detentions.

However what got to James more, was the whispers, and grouping together, and the sly looks. The girls were planning something, though he'd rather hug a Slytherin than admit it, he was more than a little unnerved. They had Lily, a master charms student, Chris, who was up for anything, Bridget, who could get them out of anything, and Holly, the cousin of a Marauder.

They were screwed.

As Potions rolled around, the girls were now completely blanking the boys. Their halo's (and in Holly's case, devil horns) were still glowing brightly as ever, and were causing them extreme annoyance.

As the Gryffindors entered the classroom, Professor Slughorn wasted no time in removing the remains of the Marauders prank from his favourite student and her friends. Sirius complained that the girls didn't receive enough teasing, but Remus assured him that he had taken a few photographs with the camera his parents had given him for his birthday as a permanent reminder. That, of course, would come in handy for future pranks.

"They're up to something."

James nodded to the girls, who were huddled around the front desk collecting ingredients, and chatting amongst themselves. The three other Marauders followed his line of sight, their eyes narrowing slightly.

"They wouldn't do anything," Sirius tried to sound convincing, but failed miserably, "They don't have the guts."

"Who doesn't have the guts?"

Sirius whipped around to see Holly (Remus' potions partner) smiling sweetly back at him, a sly glint in her dark eyes. Sirius gulped audibly, and shook his head.

"Snivellus. He doesn't have guts...full stop."

Holly eyed Sirius strangely, though James was certain there was a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Fair enough, Remus? Are we getting started, or what?"

Remus nodded quickly, and began sorting through the ingredients Holly had collected. After shooting once last furtive glance over at Lily, who was currently measuring niffler bile, James returned to his own work.

Today was going to be a long day indeed.

~**~

It seemed the boys were worrying for nothing. Lunch had passed, along with afternoon lessons, and the girls still hadn't exacted their revenge. Odd, really, since Lily had seemed so very determined to get the boys back.

As dinner came, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter started to ease up a little. The girls certainly wouldn't humiliate them so late in the day; if they were smart, they would want the boys to suffer as publically and for as long as possible.

"I'm just saying, so Slytherin have won the past few years, doesn't make them any better, you know," Sirius punctuated his point with a flick of his fork, sending a small amount of mashed potato flying into Peter's face.

"None of us disagreed with you, Sirius," Remus pointed out from behind a copy of the Evening Prophet, "In fact; I think James strongly supported your point."

Sirius scowled at his friend, and returned to his meal. James shook his head with a slight smile, and shoved a mouthful of chicken pie into his mouth.

At first it wasn't really noticeable. A few sniggers here, the odd guffaw of laughter there; nothing out of the ordinary. And so, James ignored it. However, after ten minutes, James noticed the laughter seemed to be directed towards the Gryffindor table, and he was more than sure he heard his name mentioned.

Looking up, James scanned the hall, noting alot of pairs of eyes looking in his direction.

"Mate...what the..."

Sirius' exclamation caused James to snap his head back towards his friend, his eyes widening as he did so.

For some odd (yet soon to be explicable reason), Sirius Black now seemed to be sporting a rather cute pair of fluffy white rabbit ears.

"Where did those come from," James smirked, reaching out to grab the ears. Sirius adopted a bemused look, and lifted his hands to feel his head.

"Argh!"

Sirius jumped to his feet, hands wildly examining the rabbit ears. James began to snigger loudly, until he noticed Remus staring at him.

"Wha...Remus, what in the of Merlin's saggy y-fronts is _that_?!"

Remus frowned, tentatively feeling his forehead head.

Yup. He seemed to have a unicorn horn.

"What the bloody hell is going on!" cried Sirius, over the din of the now loud and raucous laughter coming from their fellow students. James shrugged, glancing over at Peter who had grown a rat's tail. Feeling more than a little scared, James pulled out a hand held mirror (one of Holly's they had stolen so as to check around corners on their nightly wanderings) and held it up to his face.

"Look at that?! Potter has a beak!"

James whipped around to see none other than Snape pointing and guffawing at the Marauders plight. In fact, most of the Slytherins – nay – the entire Hogwarts population seemed to find their predicament amusing, though clearly not in the malicious way the Slytherin's found it.

There was only one explanation. This was the annoying yet slightly impressive work of a certain band of 'Maraudettes', so it seemed. James looked down the Gryffindor table to where the girls were smiling sweetly and waving innocently over to the boys.

Oh, they were good.

"I can't believe they got us," Sirius said in a mixture of shock and awe, "No indication...I didn't even hear a charm?!"

James nodded, just as dumfounded, his hand coming to his beak. Then again, the girls had called them a bunch of disgusting animals on more than one occasion.

Really, they should have seen it coming.

Professor McGonagall quickly quietened the hall, rectified the situation and handed out a detention each to the Marauders for causing a disturbance, but not before several camera flashes could be seen dotted around the hall. Unfair, yes, but the boys hadn't been punished for even half of the things they had done.

James would have loved to get the girls back for the prank. They all would have. But, the year was coming to an end, and the boys had more important things to attend to.

Even so, next year was a whole other year...plenty of time.

~**~

"....and that's another goal to Slytherin, it's neck and neck here folks, and turning out to be one of the dirtiest games this school has seen for years..."

It was true. In their desperation to see to it that Gryffindor was robbed of its chances for the cup, the Slytherins had resorted to some tactics of their own kind. Most of the goals for Gryffindor so far had been penalties, and James was quickly losing his ability not to retaliate.

"FOUL! THAT WAS A FOUL! MARLEY WAS CLEARLY BLAGGING!"

Madam Hooch blew her whistle and sped towards Winston Marley, who had let go of the tail of Holly's broom and held his hands up in the air.

"PENALTY TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Holly tossed the Quaffle to James a little harder than necessary, who promptly put it through the goal. Hooch blew her whistle again and the match resumed.

Slytherin took possession of the Quaffle and streaked up off the pitch, James and his fellow Chasers already on their tail. Holly screamed as Sirius appeared from nowhere, smacking a bludger that had come within inches of her head to safety.

"You're welcome, love" he grinned, and took off after the bludger.

"This doesn't mean I like you!" she called after him with a grin, ignoring the strange flip in her stomach. She cheered as Jess took the Quaffle from the Slytherins and made her way towards the goal posts.

"70-50, THIS IS A TIGHT GAME! Can Jonathan and the rest of our brave Gryffindors make it two years in a row, or will the dirty, cheating, good-for-nothing..."

Professor McGonagall reached out to take the microphone from Jackson, who dove just out of her reach.

"Sorry Professor, guess I got a little carried away, anyway, Potter in possession of the Quaffle, passes to Brown, who passes back to Potter, nice catch by girl Knight there...GRYFFINDOR SCORES...OI!"

Slytherins captain laughed manically as he slammed into Jessica Brown, sending her toppling from her broom and towards the ground. James sped towards her and caught her just before she hit the ground, and skidded to a halt, falling himself.

"TWO PENALTIES TO GRYFFINDOR!"

James handed Jess, who had been knocked unconscious, over to Madam Pomfrey, and resumed the game. He and Evey each took a penalty, both missing due to their anger at the Slytherin team.

"DON'T LET THEM GET TO YOU!" called Jonny, "JUST..."

He trailed off. A green blur sped past James, closely followed by a scarlet blur. Kelly had seen the snitch.

"Come on Kelly, come on," urged James, the Quaffle still in his hands. The rest of the game had been forgotten, all eyes on the two seekers. Sirius and Holly joined James, all muttering under their breaths.

They were neck and neck, arms outstretched and fingers grabbling for the tiny golden ball. Just one more inch....

"GRYFFINDOR WIN!"

James felt two bodies slam into him. The pitch exploded in screams and cheers. Several more bodies piled on top of James, laughing and cheering. The team slowly descended towards the grass below, a stream of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw supporters racing towards them. They'd done it again! James glanced up and saw Jonny, his head buried in his hands, sobbing his heart out. He could really get used to this, he thought with a grin.

~**~

After a quick trip to the kitchens, James and Sirius bounded into the common room, their arms laden down with sweets and bottle of butterbeer. James put down his share, and looked around. He spotted Remus and Peter talking with Jonny and his friends. He headed over, grabbing a butterbeer as he did so.

"There's my star chaser!" cried Jonny, clapping James on the back. James grinned and took a seat next to the boys.

"Don't let Holly hear you say that, she's already convinced she'll beat me to Quidditch captaincy when it's our turn," laughed James.

Jonny rolled his eyes, "It's all I hear about, she reckons _once _she's captain, you lot will have a winning streak."

"I'm sure we will," chuckled Remus, "She's pretty formidable."

Sirius bounded over to his friends after receiving many compliments from several Gryffindor third years as he did.

"Flirting again Black?" laughed Gideon Prewett'.

"Of course, I'm here to please."

The boys laughed and shook their heads. James' gaze wandered once again over to Lily. She was laughing at something Chris had said. She looked so pretty when she laughed.

"Oi, James!"

James' snapped from his musings and saw Jonny waving a hand in front of his face.

"What?"

"You spaced out for a minute there, you alright?"

James' nodded, looking at his friends as though daring them to voice their thoughts. Sirius, Remus and Peter merely exchanged knowing glances, and thankfully, kept their mouths shut.

"Well, I think it's time I said a few words," Jonny pointed his wand at his throat, and muttered 'Sonarus'.

"MY FELLOW GRYFFINDORS!"

The common room cheered as Jonny stood on top of a table. The Marauders began clapping loudly. Jonny bowed a few times, then began to speak again.

"AS YOU ALL KNOW, THIS IS MY LAST YEAR," there were several groans, "AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY...I AM SO PROUD TO HAVE SPENT MY TIME HERE AS A GRYFFINDOR!"

The common room cheered again, stamping their feet and shouting Jonny's name.

"ALSO, I'D LIKE YOU ALL TO RAISE YOU BUTTERBEERS IN A TOAST...TO THE BEST RUDDY QUIDDITCH TEAM THIS SCHOOL HAS SEEN IN YEARS!"

The Gryffindors raised their bottles, chanting 'Gryffindor'.

"TO JESS, WHO EVEN THOUGH GOT HERSELF KNOCKED OUT, HAS LEAD OUR CHASERS INTO A NEW LEVEL OF TALENT, ONE THAT I'M PRETTY DAMN SURE WILL BE UNMATCHED!"

"TO JESS!" chorused the Gryffindors. Jessica blushed furiously, and hid her head behind one of her friends. Jonny waited until the cheering had died down.

"TO KELLY! SEEKER EXTRAORDINAIRE, WHO'S WOWED US TIME AND TIME AGAIN WITH HER INCREDIBLE CATCHES!"

Kelly smiled sheepishly at her applauding classmates. She rolled her eyes at James and Sirius, who were clapping rather enthusiastically.

Jonny grinned, "TO GEOFFREY AND SIRIUS, LIKE A PAIR OF BLUDGER'S THEMSELVES, A FORMIDABLE TWOSOME WHO I DOUBT WILL BE MATCHED FOR MANY YEARS TO COME!"

Sirius and Geoffrey stood up, and bowed, lapping up the attention. Sirius spotted a group of fourth year girls, and winked at them.

Jonny once again waited for the applause to die down.

"TO MY COUSIN JAMES, AND MT DEAR SISTER JOLLY. I MUST SAY, TALENT RUNS IN THE FAMILY, AND I'VE NEVER BEEN PROUDER OF OUR TEAM, SINCE THEY JOINED."

James grinned at Jonny, and spotted Holly, whose eyes were sparkling slightly, coming over to hug her brother.

"AND LAST, BUT OF COURSE, CERTAINLY NOT LEAST...TO ME, AND ALL MY EXTAORDINARY TALENT IN JUST ABOUT EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE!"

The common room burst into cheers again. Jonny bowed, then removed the spell from his voice. He jumped down from the table, and lifted the cup (which they had 'borrowed' from Professor McGonagall with the promise of bringing it back the next morning) into the air.

"I'm really gonna miss him next year, you know," shouted Sirius over the din of applause. James nodded, and looked around the common room. He spotted Lily, cheering just as loud as the rest of the common room. Her eyes were alight with happiness, her face etched with laughter. Their eyes met briefly, and James felt his face redden. She watched him for a moment, then turned away. At least she didn't roll her eyes, he thought with a slight smile.

~**~

And so, the Marauders' third year at Hogwarts ended. They received their exam results the week before they left, and unsurprisingly, had all passed with flying colours. Even Peter received good marks, thanks to the extra studying lessons from the other boys.

The Hogwarts Express pulled into Kings Cross, and the students rushed out onto the platform to greet their loved ones.

"Are you guys coming over again this summer?" asked James as the four boys dragged their trunks off the train, "Jonny's wedding is in August, remember?"

"Of course, I don't think I could survive the entire summer at my place, even Reg is becoming a bit of a bore." James noticed the sadness in Sirius' eyes, but said nothing. He turned to Remus and Peter.

"Guys?"

"Sure, my parents will be fine with it," grinned Remus.

"Peter?"

"I'll try," smiled Peter, "But I'll probably only be able to stay for a few days like last year, you know what my dad's like."

"Alright then, gentlemen, I shall see you soon."

The boys bade goodbye and hurried off to find their parents. James spotted his mother waiting patiently for him, Jonny and Holly already standing with her.

"Your dad and Aunt Ivy were called into work, I'm afraid it's just me this year," smiled Mrs Potter, several creases appearing around her hazel eyes. James chuckled, and hugged his mother.

"It's good to see you mum, I've missed you."

"And you sweetie, let's get going, I thought we'd have a special dinner tonight since we have guests."

"Why wasn't I born a Potter," moaned Jonny, "Mum's cooking is awful."

"She shares that trait with your uncle," chuckled Mrs Potter. She glanced at James, who was scanning the crowd as they walked.

"Looking for somebody?"

James shook his head and turned away from the crowd. That year, James didn't even see Lily.

* * *

_A/N: and there we have it, the end of Third Year :) Now I know this chapter is short, but as you may or may not have noticed, the last chapter is just a rounding off of the year, in preparation of the next year. It was always written like this, and hopefully it was worth the wait. If not .. well, there's nothing that can be done, it's how I always planned it to be._

_Another thing, I'm not too sure how I'll be with updates now. Normally I like to update daily, but it completely exhausted me, and I've noticed a lot of writers update weekly. Now, whilst I don't think I could update just once a week, I doubt I'll be updating every day, it get's a bit overwhelming, and I don't want it to affect the story._

_Lastly, to all my wonderful readers, again, I apologise for my absence. But, we're back on track, and ready to go. Please enjoy, and I look forwards to hearing your responses_

_Grace._


	25. The Wedding: Part I

_A/N: I'm back! I'm terribly sorry for the enormous wait for the next update, life caught up on me, and if I'm honest, I experienced my first ever bout of writers block! I just didn't have a clue what to write... it was awful! I have most of my chapters planned out and written, but this one was actually from scratch, as I hadn't planned on going into so much detail for the wedding. I finally managed to get this chapter written, and it's a two parter, so the next one should be up soon enough. I've also scrapped alot of things I had planned for future chapters, and have taken a completely new direction with the story, so it's almost like starting from scratch. Again, I really apologise for the wait, I've been rather unreliable haven't I?! I hope this makes up for it =) I'm not sure when the next update will be, but I promise it won't be months! My creative juices are flowing once again, you'll be happy to know._

_I'll keep the review response collective, as I'm sure all you will want to do is read the chapter. So thank you once again to my wonderful readers, for continuing to read the story, being so patient and loyal, and I hope my absence hasn't driven you away! Please enjoy, and I look forward to hearing from any still out there =)_

_

* * *

_

**The Marauders Tale - The Hogwarts Years**

**_Chapter Twenty Five_**

**_The Wedding - Part I_**

"JAMES! JAMES!"

James looked up from the large three tier cake he was so desperate to devour, and spotted his mother hurrying towards him, waving a piece of paper. Sighing at the fact she clearly had something else for him to do, James dragged himself away from the cake and adopted the most eager smile he could muster at present time.

"James, there you are," Mrs Potter sounded rather out of breath, "The guests will be here any moment, I need you and the boys to escort them to their seats," Mrs Potter thrust the piece of paper – a seating plan – into James' hand, quickly smudged some none existent dirt from his cheek, patted down the shoulders of his tuxedo, then hurried off into the crowd of chefs working tirelessly in the large Knight kitchen. With one last longing look at the cake, James exited the kitchen to find his friends, hopefully to put into place the final stages of the plan.

James spotted his fellow Marauders huddled together in his aunt and uncles back garden, under a large willow tree near a small pond. Of course, being born a Potter, Ivy Knight was able to provide her family with a rather spacious garden, coupled with the large home her parents had bought for her. As well as being a largely respected family, the Potter's were quite well off too.

Skirting the edge of the rows of ivory white chairs that were currently taking up a large portion of the garden, James hurried over to his friends, shooting a quick glance to ensure they were alone and relatively unnoticed.

"James, look, we're almost finished!"

Peter, dressed in a slightly greying suit that already appeared to be smudged with some sort of food, seemed doubly excited, the fact that he was even allowed to the Knight wedding topped with a Marauder prank; it seemed to be getting him a little over excited.

"Calm down Pete, do you want James' family to hear?" Sirius hissed, looking quite dashing in his casual white shirt and charcoal trousers, finished off with a scarlet tie, and moving over a little to shield their pranking tools from prying eyes. As always, Sirius took great pride in what he now deemed his 'life's work'; causing as much trouble as possible.

"Or worse, Evans," James muttered, glancing over to the small rock garden where Lily and the girls (minus Holly, who was helping Olivia get ready) were currently tying up silver streamers. Already dressed in their wedding attire, James felt the annoying pull in his stomach every time he spotted Lily in her floaty green dress, looking as though she glided over the grass, rather than walked.

"Stop staring and she won't get suspicious, then," Sirius shot his friend and annoyed look; he seemed to be taking their 'work' _very_ seriously today.

"James, shouldn't you be helping with the wedding?" Remus, ever the voice of reason, asked. James glanced down at the seating plan in his hand, and sighed. As much as he'd like to muck about, this was Jonny's wedding. The fun would come later.

"Actually, we need to seat people. It'll be starting soon."

A darkest navy clad Remus nodded, stepping into 'Lupin mode', as James and Sirius called it, and took the plan from the bespectacled boy.

"Sirius, you and James put that away. Peter, you start helping me seat people," Sirius groaned, and quickly gathered up his work of art, whilst James and Peter both mock-saluted Remus, "And _don't _mess anything up," Remus glanced at his friends with a twinkle in his eye, "Yet."

~**~

Lily stepped down from the wooden stool after putting up the last silver streamer, attaching it to one of the large bushes that surrounded the edge of the garden. Admiring her handiwork, she dusted off her dress and turned to find Bridget and Chris still eyeing one of Holly's muggle cousins appreciatively.

"So who gets him," Bridget shot a glance at Chris, whose mouth was still slightly agape. The blonde didn't answer, and Bridget chuckled. That one was obviously settled.

"Lily, what d'ya think of Thomas? Holly said he's free and looking," Bridget nodded her head towards the tall, light haired boy with the bright blue eyes who was currently being escorted to his seat by a rather nervous looking Peter Pettigrew.

Lily watched the boy for a moment, then shrugged, "He's alright. Shall we go and see if Holly's mum needs anymore help?"

Bridget tore her eyes from the boy, and nodded. She turned back to Chris and grabbed her by the elbow.

"Alright lover-girl, time to get going."

"What?" Chris shook herself out of her boy induced stupor and shot a quizzical look at her friend, "Where're we going?"

Bridget and Lily rolled their eyes, hiding smirks as they led Christina back into the house, winding their way through the large crowd that was accumulating there.

"So what kind of wedding is this?" Chris asked as the girls walked down the hall towards the drawing room where the female members of the wedding party were currently getting ready, "I mean, with all the muggles about."

"Muggle," Bridget turned a corner and headed down a second corridor, "Holly said most of her dad's family haven't got a clue about...our world."

"Oh, that's a shame," Lily sighed, "I've never seen a wizard wedding before."

"Couldn't they have put up wards or memory spells?" asked Chris. Bridget shook her head.

"There already are," the mousy haired girl shot her friends a dark look, "Remember? Holly said her mum had to put protective wards up after the attack in second year. Apparently adding more will weaken the important ones."

Lily and Chris exchanged worried looks. As much as they wanted to forget the woes of the outside world, even on such a special day as this, the troubles of the wizarding world were never far from thought.

Hoping to at least try and forget it, the three girls hurried towards a set of large oak double doors. Lily remembered the first time she had come to Holly's house, how amazed she had been to see such a normal (albeit large) house suddenly surprise you with something completely out of the ordinary, and obviously, wizarding. Like right now, various symbols around the double doors had begun to move, jumping around on the door frame and changing shape and size.

The girls waited for the doors to open, themselves of course, and stepped through them into the Knight portrait room.

They entered a spacious room with a high, polished wooden ceiling and equally high arched windows. The carpet was plush, a deep shade of crimson, as was the gold trimmed heavy looking curtains. Elegant portraits of Potters past and present lined the clean, cream walls and intricately carved mahogany tables and chairs were dotted here and there. In the centre of the room, four large sofas were grouped around a coffee table set with a large vase of brightly coloured roses.

On the left side of the room, Mrs Knight, Olivia's mum Mrs Berry, and people Lily presumed to be female members of Olivia's family were fawning over the bride, smoothing down her hair and tapping her with their wands every so often. Standing in front of one of the full length mirrors placed in the room, Holly was currently tugging at her pale gold bridesmaid dress, her nose scrunched up as she scrutinized her reflection.

"Girls, did you finish putting up the last of the decorations?" Mrs Knight turned away from her soon-to-be daughter in law and smiled politely at her daughters friends.

"Yes Mrs Knight, is there anything else we can do?" asked Bridget.

Mrs Knight waved her wand for a moment, a small scroll of parchment appearing out of thin air before her. Adjusting her glasses for a moment, she quickly scanned the parchment, before flicking her wand once again and banishing the scroll.

"I think we have everything ready," Bridget and the girls nodded to Mrs Knight, who clapped her hands together; "You can chat to Holly for a moment, if you like?"

The three girls nodded, and hurried over to their dark haired friend, who still seemed slightly unimpressed at the Holly looking back at her.

"Is it just me, or do I remind you of a sick snidget," Holly pulled at the dress for the umpteenth time and turned to her friends, "This dress is really poofy."

Lily rolled her eyes, and snorted, "Holly, it looks fine. You just like to complain."

Holly narrowed her eyes at her fiery haired friend, and turned back to her reflection. In all fairness, she looked gorgeous as usual, but Lily knew telling her that was as productive as telling James Potter she'd never go out with him, although that didn't stop Lily from constantly rebuking his attempts to woo her, of course.

"James and the guys were huddled together before," Bridget remarked as she examined a photograph of Holly and James at what appeared to be age three and covered in mud.

"You say that as if they've never done that before," Chris snorted, tilting her head at the portrait of a portly old man with messy grey hair and round glasses.

Bridget rolled her eyes, moving onto the next photo, "I'm just saying, they're up to something."

"Again, you say that as if they've never been like that before," Holly smirked, turning away from the mirror, "Don't worry, mum and aunt Gwen are anticipating something, especially since all four of them are here."

"They wouldn't try anything at the wedding, would they?" asked Bridget incredulously. This time it was Lily who snorted.

"This is Potter we're talking about, of course they would."

"You're just biased 'cause you hate James," Bridget stuck her tongue out at Lily and turned back to the portraits, "Holly you look just like this one."

"It's my great-grandma when she was younger," Holly waved her hand absently, "We all know they'll try something, I'd just like to see it get past mum."

"Doubt they will, your mum could spot a Marauder prank a mile off," Lily gently ran her fingers over one of the many silver photo frames on the small table next to the mirror.

"Girls, time to go to your seats!"

Lily, Chris and Bridget nodded to Mrs Knight, bade goodbye to Holly and hurried out of the portrait room, all three anxious to see the ceremony start.

~**~

The guests had taken their seats now. Row upon row of delicate white chairs were now filled by various family and friends, whilst the staff hired to cater and organize the grand event filed inside the Knight home to continue working. Jonny had taken his place at the white flowered arch facing the white chairs at the south end of the garden, as well as his best man Fabian Prewett beaming his trademark (and often remarked 'goofy') grin, James, Gideon Prewett and Simon Meadowes. Mr and Mrs Knight had taken seats beside Mrs Berry, with Mr and Mrs Potter sitting on the other side. Alot of people from both the wizarding and muggle community had come to witness the marriage of Jonny and Olivia; both were loved very dearly.

The music started, soft and gentle, not the traditional wedding march at all. All eyes turned to the doors to the garden, where the first bridesmaids were appearing. Several of Olivia's cousins passed down the carpeted aisle, each clutching a bouquet of white roses and wearing the same pale gold 'poofy' dress Holly was wearing. Holly then appeared, smiling dutifully and throwing glances at her friends clearly telling them she wasn't at all happy with the fashion choice. James' eyes quickly darted to Sirius, who as always, was ogling his cousin. He'd gotten used to it, but still didn't like it. Sirius seemed to ogle just about everyone.

Olivia's maid of honour, Jennifer Aldridge was next (Sirius' eyes almost popped out of his head) and finally it was Olivia's turn.

Even though James defiantly protested his heart belonged to only one, he would've been an idiot to think Olivia looked nothing short of breath-taking, as all brides do. Her soft blonde hair fell down to her shoulders in elegant curls, skirting just above the top of her strapless dress. The dress itself was a creamy ivory colour, the bodice decorated with small beads and pearls, with skirt and train lightly trailing the ground. Simple, elegant, and perfect.

Mr Berry, who at that moment looked to be the proudest man on earth, led his daughter towards the slightly raised platform being used as an alter, shaking Jonny's hand and kissing Olivia's cheek as he gave her away. Jonny's eyes were glazed over, a large grin plastered to his face. He looked very happy indeed.

The ceremony was beautifully done. Though he was young, James could very much see how in love Jonny and Olivia were, it radiated from them brighter than the late summer sunshine above. As Jonny and Olivia shared their first kiss, James looked out into the crowd and spotted Lily cheering and clapping, a wide grin plastered to her face. As always, she looked beautiful.

The newlyweds left the small platform, and walked down the aisle as the guests threw rose petals over the couple. James and the rest of the groomsman paired off with their assigned bridesmaids (James had specifically asked to be paired with Holly rather than the giggling friends of Olivia) and followed.

"I thought this was meant to be a muggle wedding?" James quirked his eyebrow towards the platform, which had lengthened and now sported a large head table. All around them small rounded tables appeared, complete with plates and cutlery and decorations, and just before the platform, a large silver dance floor spread across the grass.

Holly rolled her eyes, and nodded towards James' father, "The muggles won't notice, it's the only bit of magic they're using all day. Everything else is as muggle as my dad."

James snorted, and led Holly over to Jonny and Olivia, who were receiving congratulations from their parents and Mr and Mrs Potter. True to her word, the muggles attending the wedding didn't seem to notice their change of surroundings, and carried on blissfully unaware of the magic around them.

"Jonny! Congratulations," James pulled his cousin into a hug as Holly did the same with her new sister in law.

"Cheers James," Jonny's eyes were still fixed on his new wife, James had a feeling he'd be like that for awhile.

"And Olivia," he continued, "Welcome to the family."

Olivia positively beamed, "Thanks James, I couldn't be happier!"

"I finally have female company!" Holly cried, sounding genuinely relieved. James pushed his cousin playfully, and rolled his eyes.

"We can't gang up on her anymore mate," he sighed, causing Jonny hang his head in mock sadness.

"You sure you know what you're getting into?" Holly whispered to Olivia as they watched the two begin to argue over what to do now that Holly had back up.

Olivia pulled a face, and wrapped an arm around Holly's shoulders, "I'm not so sure anymore."

~**~

The wedding reception was in full swing. Already Jonny and Holly had shared their first dance, the song being 'Can't Help Falling in Love With You', by a muggle singer named Elvis Presley, who was apparently quite a star in the muggle world. James had never heard of him, but Holly said her dad listened to him alot.

Now, as much as he loved his cousin, James was starting to get bored. Jonny was too occupied with his new wife to hang out with him much, and it seemed relatives from far and wide were flocking to him. He hadn't spotted Lily for awhile, but assumed she was with Holly and the girls.

Spotting Remus and Peter sitting at one of the small round tables, James managed to slip away from his uncle Ian's mother Ruth, who had a strange obsession with ruffling James' hair.

"Where've you two been?" James slumped into a seat, grabbing Peter's glass of pumpkin juice (Jonny told his father's family it was an old family recipe) and drained it in one gulp, much to the annoyance of his friend.

"Here," Remus informed, glancing over to the dance floor, "There isn't much to do."

"Yeah, where are all your female cousins, Potter," sounded a voice from behind James.

"Bugger off, Sirius," James leant back in his chair, stretching his arms high above his head, "Holly's the only girl, and you're not going anywhere near her."

Sirius rolled his eyes and took a seat next to Remus, "What about Lily, she's free and –"

"Sirius, shut up," Remus smacked his friend upside the head, "Where've you been anyway?"

Sirius nodded his head over to the dance floor, "Dancing. Just like everyone else."

"Who with?" frowned Peter, his head snapping to the dance floor, "James said he doesn't have any girl cousins."

"Yes he does," Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"And there was me thinking Holly had standards," Remus smirked, taking a sip of juice.

"Sirius!" James cried, "Will you please choose someone else to go after!"

"I'm not going after her," Sirius replied lazily, "We danced. Then I danced with Chris, and Bridget," Sirius paused, and grinned at his friend, "Don't worry, Evans was nowhere in sight."

Half concerned, half relived, James craned his neck to see if he could spot where Lily was. He saw Holly, chatting to her uncle Colin and his wife Helen, Chris, who was ogling Colin's son Thomas, Bridget, who was chatting to his father and uncle...but no Lily.

"Where is she?" he wondered aloud, hazel eyes scanning the large crowd.

The three boys around him sniggered, "For the love of Merlin, James, will you just give up on her already?!" Sirius said in exasperation. James shot his friend a disbelieving look, then returned to his search for Lily.

"When are we starting the – "Peter's voice was cut off by Remus, whose hand had quickly clamped over the smaller boys mouth.

"Will you keep your voice down!" Remus hissed, "James' mum is just there," he nodded his head towards Mrs Potter, who was talking with Alistair and Lobelia Potter, her husband's aunt and uncle. James loved his great-uncle Alistair; he was full of wild and frankly unbelievable stories. His aunt Lobelia, on the other hand, he wasn't too fond of.

"I didn't realise your family was so big," Remus mused, finally releasing Peter.

James nodded absently, "There's Potter's all over, most of them are really old now, though. None of my dad's cousins had kids, there's only me, Holly and Jonny who are magical kids in the family now."

Remus exchanged a look with Sirius, who shook his head. James was clearly occupied at the moment.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to talk to the bridesmaids," Sirius stood up, winked at an unimpressed Remus, and disappeared into the crowd.

"I'm going to make sure he doesn't get hexed," Remus quickly followed Sirius, leaving James and Peter at the table.

"You mind if I go look for Lily, Pete?" James asked hopefully. Peter sighed, and shook his head.

"Sure, go for it, I'll just..." Peter's voice trailed away as James leapt from his seat and hurried into the crowd of dancing guests.

~**~

"So, have you known Holly for long?"

Lily glanced up at the twinkling blue eyes of the boy she was dancing with, and smiled politely.

"Four years now, we met at school," she paused, wondering if Holly's cousin knew of Hogwarts.

"Ahh, the boarding school aunt Ivy went to," the boy nodded, "Do you like it there? We never thought uncle Ian would send his kids to a boarding school, my dad was rather shocked."

Lily forced a chuckle; it wasn't that she didn't like Michael; he just seemed a little...smarmy. Holly had warned her Thomas and Michael were like that, courtesy of a 'stuck up her own arse' Helen Knight.

"It's great, I love it," she finally answered, her green eyes wandering over the crowd. She spotted Sirius chatting away to Holly, and snorted. Those two had it bad, if only they'd get a move on with it. Michael spun Lily rather clumsily around, Lily almost tripping on the hem of a bridesmaid's dress behind her.

"Whoops," Michael chuckled, steadying Lily, "I take it you're not much of a dancer."

Lily inwardly rolled her eyes, but kept her polite facade simply because of the way she'd been brought up.

A few feet away, James Harold Potter was watching the pair through narrowed eyes. Lily was smiling; she looked as though she were really enjoying herself. Apparently that muggle was some great source of entertainment.

A wicked grin curled on James' face. Forgetting where he was momentarily, James shot over to Sirius, dragging him away from a rather dazed looking Holly, then hurried off to locate the rest of his Marauders.

"What was all that about?" Bridget appeared at Holly's side, watching as a determined looking James and a bemused looking Sirius disappeared from view.

"Huh?" Holly shook her head, looking as though she'd only just realised Bridget was there, "What're you on about?"

Bridget quirked an eyebrow, and threw her hands in the air.

"Am I the only one who doesn't turn into a dithering idiot through those boys!?"

~**~

The wedding guests fell silent as the gentle tinkle of a spoon hitting glass sounded (magically magnified, of course). All eyes turned to a grinning James Potter, who was standing in front of the head table, hazel eyes glinting with mischief. To his side, Sirius, Remus and Peter watched their friend with a mixture of amusement and pity. This more than likely wasn't going to go down well.

"Ahem," the waltzing wedding guests slowed to a halt, and James threw his friends a cheeky wink, "Good afternoon everyone, hope you're all enjoying yourselves," another charming grin, "I know I am. I didn't get the chance to say anything earlier; between Fabians frankly hilarious speech to aunt Ivy's blubbering not many of us had a chance. I'd just like to say congratulations to the happy couple, and cheers for giving us a reason to throw a party," the crowd broke into scattered chuckles, "I'm really happy for you guys, you make one hell of a couple," James raised his glass to Jonny and Olivia, who were smiling from somewhere over to the left, as the crowd chanted their name.

"Also," James continued, startling several guests, "There's someone else I'd like to make a toast to."

In the crowd, Lily paled, as James' eyes rested on her. She whipped around and mouthed helplessly to a gaping Holly, a chuckling Chris and a concerned Bridget.

"Now Liv, you know you're the most beautiful girl here, but I'm afraid I must comment on the beauty of another," James continued, as Lily repeatedly chanted no under her breath. Mrs Potter soon realised, and tried to push her way through the crowd, however Mr Potter, who himself was fighting laughter, quickly grabbed his wife's arm.

"Now Gwen, let him have his moment," he chuckled. Mrs Potter gaped at her husband, who merely smiled in return.

James' eyes rested on Lily, whose eyes were now tightly squeezed shut. As if on cue, Sirius appeared behind, ready to stop any attempt at an escape. As much as James' obsession with Lily annoyed him, Sirius found the whole situation highly entertaining.

"To Miss Lily Potter," James raised his glass and cleared his throat.

_"The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,  
The humble sheep a threat'ning horn:  
While the Lily white shall in love delight,  
Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright."_

A resounding 'awww' sounded from the older members of the crowd, whilst the younger members merely gaped at James in utter shock. Sirius' eyes looked ready to burst from their sockets, Remus and Peter's jaws hung loosely open, while the girls looked as though they'd just seen a dragon deliver the very same speech.

Lily, suffice to say, looked stunned to the core.

"Where the bloody hell did he learn that!" Lily hissed, her eyes fixated on James, who was now drinking to the red head in the crowd.

"I haven't got a clue," Sirius replied in a daze, "Potter can rhyme!"

"It's a muggle poem," Lily muttered, "One my dad used to say to me," the red head trailed off, looking lost in thought.

Sirius merely shrugged, and hurried through the crowd towards James, who was already being bombarded with questions by Remus and Peter.

Lily continued to stare at nothing at all, until her three best friends arrived and shook her from her reverie.

"Lils! Did you hear that!?" Chris cried, tugging on her friends arm.

Bridget snorted, and shoved Chris a little, "Course she did, look at her face!"

Holly leant closer to Lily, forcing her to make eye contact, "You alright, Lily?"

Lily nodded slightly, thought Holly could tell it was a bare faced lie. Lily would explain later though. She was about to speak when a voice sounded smoothly in her ear.

"I must say, James is completely right, I couldn't agree more."

And by the look on James' face, he had heard every word.

* * *

_There we go, chapter twenty five =) not long until we begin fourth year too! Our little Marauders are beginning to grow up =( hope you have enjoyed, and that it has been worth the wait. Part II is almost finished!_

_Disclaimer: The poem James so wonderfully recites to dear Lily is a poem titled 'The Lily' by William Blake. I thought it was rather fitting =)_

_Also, I don't own HP, but we all knew that anyways!_


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